by SAMSN | 26th August 2018 | SAMSN in Print
Read an article by B.C Lewis published on the Blue Mountains Gazette website (Published 25th August 2018)
SAMSN acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we live and work. We pay our respect to Past, Present and Future Elders.
The tricycle (trike) represents a rite of passage for many children.
A trike opens up the world for a young child; you can’t miss their delight when they experience the mobility, speed and freedom. Learning to ride helps to build confidence, safety, independence, and initiative.
Conversely, child sexual abuse takes away the rites of passage that are essential to a child’s development. It robs them of a sense of safety, freedom, and their right to be a child.
The trike reminds us that adult male survivors were once children. SAMSN walks alongside men and their supporters to restore safety, freedom and self-belief.
As the situation regarding COVID-19 evolves, the health and well-being of our people and clients are our top priority. SAMSN continues to follow the advice of NSW Health and the Commonwealth Government to help minimise the spread of the virus.
The SAMSN office remains open but with limited staff as we alternate working remotely and in the office. Our dedicated team continues to support survivors and our supporters and we encourage you to stay in touch and contact SAMSN for support.
SAMSN will be closed from Thursday, December 24th and will re-open on Monday the 4th of January 2021.
We know that Christmas can be a challenging time. If you find yourself or the people you support struggling, please consider contacting the Blue Knot Foundation Helpline on 1300 657 380 or Lifeline on 131114
Craig is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and one of SAMSN's co-founders. He was appointed as a Community Member on the Victims Advisory Board by the Attorney General of NSW and sits on the NSW Sentencing Council. Craig is also a member of Suicide Prevention Australia’s Lived Experience Panel, the National Memorial Advisory Group (Commonwealth Govt), the Expert Advisory Group for the Prevention and Response to Violence, Abuse and Neglect (NSW Health) and a member of Transforming Justice Australia’s Expert Advisory Panel. Craig is also the inaugural Chair of the Australian Centre for Child Protection’s Lived Experience Advisory Panel.
Previously, Craig has been a board member of Knowmore Legal Service and was appointed to the Prime Minister's Reference Group for the National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse (delivered October 2018). Craig has also been a member of the NSW Sexual Assault Expert Group (NSW Health), the Safeguarding Council (Diocese of Parramatta), and the Survivor & Faith Group Child Safe Standing Committee (NSW Ombudsman).
From September through November 2022 Craig travelled to the US, England, Ireland and Spain on a Churchill Fellowship to investigate best practice methods and support models to assist male survivors of child sexual abuse.
Shane is a Clinical Psychologist and has almost two decades of experience working in the Government and the not-for-profit sector, as well as work in private practice. His clinical work has predominantly focused on child protection, interpersonal violence, trauma and mental health.
Shane has a passion for trauma-informed service delivery and people leadership. He aims to create a work environment that fosters growth and development in others. Since joining SAMSN he has seen firsthand the benefits of working alongside survivors and professionals and enjoys being part of such a dedicated and supportive team.
Prue is a lawyer who has spent the past 25 years working in the community- from helping to set up a legal clinic in Kings Cross for people experiencing homelessness, to Campbelltown as the Principal Lawyer at Macarthur Legal Centre and more recently as the former Principal Lawyer of knowmore Legal Service.
In 2017 Prue was awarded the Justice Medal by the NSW Law and Justice Foundation and in 2020 Prue received an Order of Australia Medal for services to the law and to the community.
Prue balances her passion for working for justice for people experiencing exclusion, hardship and disadvantage, with a love of music and the enjoyment of watching her young grandchildren grow.
Les is a survivor of non-institutional childhood sexual abuse and a passionate advocate for all survivors. Les holds a bachelor’s degree in Organisational Leadership and has over 20 years’ experience in management roles within the banking and not-for-profit sectors. These roles have given Les a solid understanding of financial management and human resources. In addition to his role as General Manager, Les also assists with the co-facilitation of SAMSN’s various workshops for service providers, supporters and survivors.
Julie Blyth has a Social Work background and worked extensively in counselling, training and consultancy in responding to the trauma of violence and abuse. Julie was the Clinical Advisor at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, over 5 years, leading a team who provided support and counselling to all who engaged with the Commission, supporting a staff wellbeing program and implementing a trauma informed approach across the Commission.
By his own admission, Shane prefers to work with serious business owners. Realists who appreciate the sometimes brutal challenges of business and who value fresh and unhindered thinking.
While their ventures may be at any stage of the business cycle, Shane's clients are experienced business owners of large, often new age or unconventional enterprises with complicated circumstances, operating in Australia and across multiple international jurisdictions.
A Chartered Accountant, Shane established his own practice because he believed most accountants fail business owners by not providing much needed bespoke advice and higher level services.
Shane strives to grow, leverage and protect assets that generate wealth so that his clients may live with financial freedom.
He is the ultimate CFO – Chief Financial Officer. He cuts through the clutter that can distract internal accountants while maintaining an intimate understanding of the business and the business owner's personal financial affairs.
Shane thrives on complexity. Stepping in to assist clients experiencing difficulties he solves problems, leverages opportunities and turns businesses around, ultimately increasing their value.
Doing the right things, for the right reasons and in the right way is fundamental to Shane's approach.
Involved in family businesses since he was 4 years of age, Shane's highly developed business instincts are underpinned with clear purpose, visualised outcomes and efficient, often custom designed processes that deliver results.
Shane has seen businesses start, grow and as he says, "blow up". He knows the characteristics of good businesses and intuitively recognises the warning signs that can quickly escalate to problems.
Shane knows numbers and understands what drives them.
He has a special interest in building accounting systems to address the all too common grievances of business owners not knowing where they are financially. Shane shares 'real life' business experiences with his clients and addresses their needs. Importantly, he coaches them to understand and use their numbers to take control, mitigate risks, identify trends and leverage opportunities.
SAMSN will be closed from Thursday, December 24th and will re-open on Monday the 4th of January 2021.
We know that Christmas can be a challenging time. If you find yourself or the people you support struggling, please consider contacting the Blue Knot Foundation Helpline on 1300 657 380 or Lifeline on 131114
Karin is a senior manager experienced in working in diverse industries, with a focus on the for-purpose sector, combining business acumen with skills in social impact to create better outcomes for individuals and communities.
Her background is in program and business management with a focus on improving and streamlining business processes, organisational performance and program delivery. Before joining SAMSN Karin held roles at the Centre for Social Impact and at People With Disability Australia.
Karin holds a Graduate Certificate in Social Impact from the Centre for Social Impact at the University of NSW. She is passionate about social justice and has spent most of her career in the for-purpose space.
Before coming to Australia over 25 years ago Karin lived in Europe. She loves languages and believes in their importance for understanding people’s connections and values.
Rachel is an experienced clinical counsellor/social worker with nearly twenty years’ experience in the community, government, and private sectors. She specialises in working with complex PTSD, adult survivors of child abuse, refugee survivors of trauma and torture, and family and domestic violence. She is highly experienced working with male survivors of sexual assault, and managed SAMSSA (Service Assisting Male Survivors of Sexual Assault) in Canberra from 2009 to 2016. Rachel returned to work with male survivors with SAMSN in 2022 as our Peer Support Line Team Leader and is now our Senior Practitioner.
Rachel holds a Master of Social Work (Q) from Monash University, Bachelor of Counselling from Edith Cowan University, and Diploma of Professional Counselling. She is trained in trauma-informed therapy, EMDR, ACT, and DBT, and has a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.
Rachel is a clinical member of the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA), a member of the College of Clinical Counsellors (CCC), an accredited member of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW), a registered clinical supervisor, and an Associate Member of the EMDR Association of Australia (EMDRAA).
