The National Child Protection Alliance of Australia [NCPA] is a non-profit organisation dedicated to ensuring the protection of Children and Young People from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. The NCPA was formed by researchers, academics, child welfare/protection professionals, advocates for children, Children’s lawyers, Parents and Children and Young People of Australia to promote the Rights of Children underthe U.N. Convention and in particular:
• The Rights of Children and Young People to be protected from Harm and Exploitation
• The Rights of Children and Young People to express their own views in any judicial and administrative proceedings, and for their views to be given full account in decisions affecting their lives
NCPA Committee for 2018/2019
Chairperson
Vice Chair
Family Lawyer & Legal Advisor
Treasurer
Secretary
Committee:
Public Officer
Expert Consultant:
Media Liaison
Webmaster:
Niki Norris, AM
Charles Pragnell
Flora Zaydenberg
Bernadette McMillan
Johnny Pace
Kim Johnson, Deborah Martin, Robert Deal
Johnny Pace
Charles Pragnell
Cecelia Haddad
Paul Murphy
Chairperson: Niki Norris, AM
Vice Chair: Charles Pragnell
Family Lawyer and Legal Adviser: Flora Zaydenberg
Treasurer:Bernadette McMillan
Secretary: Johnny Pace
Committee:
- Kim Johnson
- Deborah Martin
- Robert Deal
Public Officer: Johnny Pace
Expert Consultant: Charles Pragnell
Media Liaison: Cecelia Haddad
Webmaster: Paul Murphy
Charles Pragnell - Founder
For many years Charles Pragnell was an independent Expert Defence Witness for Child Protection and has given evidence to courts in England, Scotland, and New Zealand. Since 1990 he has acted as an advocate/representative for children and families in child protection matters and other proceedings involving various state agencies. Since 1996 he has made special studies of issues involving Munchausen’s Syndrome By Proxy, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Shaken Baby Syndrome.
Charles has almost forty years of experience working directly with children and young people as a social worker and senior manager of social services. He has undertaken research for the UK National Children’s Bureau and other educational, social and health services and appeared at national and international conferences presenting on children’s issues (including child protection) and social policy, and has lectured at English and Australian universities as a Visiting Lecturer. Charles is regularly published in journals in the U.K., South Africa and Online. He was a member of an international working party of social workers in child and family services which was set up by the Federation Internationale de Communite’ Educative to produce an international Code of Ethical Conduct and Practice Principles for social workers worldwide. He has presented evidence on child protection matters to government Inquiries in the UK and in Australia.
Charles presently occupies the position of Vice Chairman of the Australian National Child Protection Alliance, a body formed and comprised by academics, researchers, lawyers, psychologists, child advocates and protective parents with a view to assisting in the development and improvement of child protection services in Australia in order to promote Australia’s commitment to the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by the Australian government in 1991 and which is now embodied in the Family Law Act.
Niki Norris - Founder
Niki gave vivid illustrations of the harms caused to children by appalling Family Court decisions. She has met with a great many Federal and State MPs and is unrelenting in her call for urgent investigations through a Royal Commission.
The NCPA has been calling for a Royal Commission for the last decade, after the ‘Shared Parenting’ amendments of 2005-2006 had disastrous consequences leading to abuses of many thousands of children throughout Australia. The late Emeritus Professor Freda Briggs and Charles Pragnell, Vice Chairman of the NCPA, were instrumental in initiating the calls at that time for a Royal Commission into such occurrences.
The NCPA also pressed for the Senate Inquiry into the Family Courts and which took place in 2017, but which was nullified when Attorney-General Brandis and Chief Justice Diana Bryant refused to give evidence. They would not have been able to do so with a Royal Commission and so the NCPA continues to pursue that avenue as well.
Founders of NCPA
- EXPERT ADVISORY PANEL and,
Vice Chairman – Australian National Child Protection Alliance
For many years Charles Pragnell was an independent Expert Defence Witness for Child Protection and has given evidence to courts in England, Scotland, and New Zealand. Since 1990 he has acted as an advocate/representative for children and families in child protection matters and other proceedings involving various state agencies. Since 1996 he has made special studies of issues involving Munchausen’s Syndrome By Proxy, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Shaken Baby Syndrome.
Charles has almost forty years of experience working directly with children and young people as a social worker and senior manager of social services. He has undertaken research for the UK National Children’s Bureau and other educational, social and health services and appeared at national and international conferences presenting on children’s issues (including child protection) and social policy, and has lectured at English and Australian universities as a Visiting Lecturer. Charles is regularly published in journals in the U.K., South Africa and Online. He was a member of an international working party of social workers in child and family services which was set up by the Federation Internationale de Communite’ Educative to produce an international Code of Ethical Conduct and Practice Principles for social workers worldwide. He has presented evidence on child protection matters to government Inquiries in the UK and in Australia.
Charles presently occupies the position of Vice Chairman of the Australian National Child Protection Alliance, a body formed and comprised by academics, researchers, lawyers, psychologists, child advocates and protective parents with a view to assisting in the development and improvement of child protection services in Australia in order to promote Australia’s commitment to the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by the Australian government in 1991 and which is now embodied in the Family Law Act.
Niki gave vivid illustrations of the harms caused to children by appalling Family Court decisions. She has met with a great many Federal and State MPs and is unrelenting in her call for urgent investigations through a Royal Commission.
The NCPA has been calling for a Royal Commission for the last decade, after the ‘Shared Parenting’ amendments of 2005-2006 had disastrous consequences leading to abuses of many thousands of children throughout Australia. The late Emeritus Professor Freda Briggs and Charles Pragnell, Vice Chairman of the NCPA, were instrumental in initiating the calls at that time for a Royal Commission into such occurrences.
The NCPA also pressed for the Senate Inquiry into the Family Courts and which took place in 2017, but which was nullified when Attorney-General Brandis and Chief Justice Diana Bryant refused to give evidence. They would not have been able to do so with a Royal Commission and so the NCPA continues to pursue that avenue as well.
On 4th May 2017, the Chair of the National Child Protection Alliance, Nicolette Norris AM, was awarded as a Member of the Order of Australia. Her investiture took place at NSW Government House and was presented to her by Governor David Hurley.
Niki received this Award for significant service to the community, particularly to the rights, protection and welfare of children.
Having won the Heathcote 2015, Local Woman of the Year Award, Niki Norris attended the Women of the Year Awards Luncheon at NSW Parliament House, with other local awardees. With her are the Minister for Families and Community Services, Pru Goward and Niki’s local member for Heathcote, Lee Evans.