Madeleine will be delivering her afternoon keynote presentation in a story telling framework, speaking about her lived experience as a young person – homeless, feeling vulnerable and rudderless. She will recount being preyed upon by unscrupulous predators offering conditional love, help and connection. Now as a successful actor, educator and mum of six, Madeline will be highlighting invaluable lessons learned along the way and the critical support Foster and Kinship can play in safely navigating children and young people through adversity.
Madeline West, victim, actor, advocate, educator and mum.
Despite 35 years on stage and screen with an impressive filmography, Madeleine West is
perhaps now best known for her advocacy for child protection, as a long term victim of
child sexual abuse herself. A mum of six, Madeleine understands intimately the life
sentence young people exposed to such violation suffer, the burden of shame, and how
trauma manifests throughout their lives. With significant dysfunction in her own childhood
home lesson to her running away and living independently at 16, also knows just how easy
it is for kids to slip through the cracks, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation.
Her lauded podcast series ‘Predatory’ alongside former NSW detective investigator Gary
Jubelin provides a guide, a checklist to help parents and carers understand and identify
predatory behaviour online and in person and the early signs a child is being groomed and
exposed to abuse by demonstrating what that looks like, how predators access their prey
and where they hide.
Now, as a member of Super for Survivors alongside Grace Tame and the Carly Ryan
Foundation, Madeleine is seeking to close the loophole allowing paedophiles to secure
their savings against victim’s compensation claims, and is an in demand educator for Safe
on Social, education kids, parents and teachers on how to identify predation online and
stay safe on social media.
Madeleine is frequently invited to advise parliament on policy regarding reposting
mechanisms, victim impact and suggest models for a national sex offenders register.
Her work role as ambassador for Project Paradigm is expanding into direct victim
counselling and support, ensuring her platform and learned experience shine an
increasingly bright light on the scourge of child abuse, to keep kids safe