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School Safety Forum | 17-18 Sep 2026
- Jun 3
- 8 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Key Information
Date & time
8:25 - 16:00 Thursday 17 Sep 2026
8:45 - 16:00 Friday 18 Sep 2026
Location
Club Parramatta
2 Macquarie St Parramatta NSW
Ticketing
1 day admission: Thursday 17 Sep: $345+GST
1 day admission: Friday 18 Sep: $345+GST
Early bird offer, available until 1 August 2026:
2 day admission: Thursday 17-18 Sep: $650+GST
About this event
Join us for this two day School Safety Forum, bringing together education leaders and safety and wellbeing specialists to explore evidence informed approaches to strengthening school safety, including hostile threat management, through prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.
DAY 1: Thursday 17 September 2026
FOCUS: Prevention and Preparedness
TOPICS: A strategic exploration of the current school safety landscape, with a focus on hostile threat environments, behavioural risk, social cohesion and early identification of vulnerability and extremism. Sessions will focus on strengthening leadership capability to prevent and prepare for hostile threat incidents, risk awareness and preventative approaches across school communities.
AUDIENCE: Designed for principals, executives, system and operational leaders, wellbeing and safeguarding leads, and those responsible for risk, compliance and student safety.
FORMAT: The program features keynote presentations from leading experts including Professor Theresa Dicke (ACU), Dr Steve Barracosa (Youth Justice NSW) and NSW Police representatives, alongside facilitated discussions and applied learning sessions led by Nemesis Consultancy Group. The day combines evidence, policy and practical insights to support leaders to translate strategy into practice.
DAY 2: Friday 18 September 2026
FOCUS: Response and Recovery
TOPICS: A practical and operational focus on responding to critical incidents, including behavioural threat assessment, emergency response, mental health recovery and coordination with emergency services. The program also explores lessons learned from real incidents and approaches to strengthening system readiness and resilience.
AUDIENCE: Designed for principals, executive, system and operational leaders, emergency response teams, wellbeing staff, counsellors and those responsible for incident management and recovery.
FORMAT: The program includes keynote presentations from behavioural threat specialists and emergency management experts, panel discussions with practitioners and system leaders, and applied sessions focused on response and recovery. The forum concludes with a forward looking session on strengthening school readiness through the Hostile Threat Safety Review process.
Event Program
Keynote Speakers
Professor Theresa Dicke is Professor and Program Lead of Educational and Developmental Psychology at the Institute for Positive Psychology and Education, Australian Catholic University. Her research focuses on school wellbeing, leadership and the complex interactions between educators, students and school systems.
She leads large scale national and international research on teacher and school leader wellbeing, including the Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey, which has tracked trends in leadership safety, stress and working conditions over more than a decade. Her work also spans the design and implementation of school based surveys and data systems, with a focus on capturing multiple perspectives across students, teachers and leaders to understand school climate and functioning.
Her recent research examines critical incidents, offensive behaviours and their impact on school leaders’ capacity to lead effectively. Professor Dicke’s work provides evidence to inform policy, system reform and practical strategies to support safe, sustainable and high-functioning school environments.
Dr Steve Barracosa is the Senior Manager of the Youth Justice NSW Specialist Support/Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Unit. His PhD research focused on youth radicalisation and violent extremism risk assessment in an Australian context. Steve is the inaugural chair for the Commonwealth youth-extremism advisory group. He is a psychologist, published author on the topic of preventing and countering radicalisation and violent extremism with youth, is a court appointment expert for extremism proceedings in the NSW Children’s Court and has experience in the development and implementation of CVE services for both youth and adults. Steve has a research and practice based interest in the nexus between youth that engage in extremism and targeted threats towards school settings.
Heather Jackson is Director, Interventions and Innovation with the NSW Department of Communities and Justice and has been involved in countering violent extremism since 2016 for various agencies, with a focus on client reintegration into the community and violent extremism disengagement. Heather leads three countering violent extremism programs with specialist staff in NSW, and nationally. These provide support and structured case management to people vulnerable to, or who have engaged in, violent extremism. Youth vulnerability and susceptibility is a particular area of interest and ongoing research. Heather also provides consultative advice and support for teams to implement intervention pathways and deliver community and stakeholder engagement programs. Heather is recognised through international and national speaking engagements and extensive media outreach via radio and print.
Dr Nathan Brooks is a forensic psychologist and senior lecturer with extensive experience in high-stakes behavioural assessment and intervention. With a career spanning both public and private sectors, Dr Brooks has worked closely with government and law enforcement on sensitive cases involving threat and risk analysis. His practice is grounded in years of expertise in profiling and assessing individuals exhibiting complex behavioural patterns.
In addition to his work with key organisations, Dr Brooks is recognised for his thought leadership in forensic psychology, having delivered numerous national and international workshops, webinars, and keynote speeches on topics such as psychopathy, personality disorders, and behavioural risk indicators. His training programs are tailored to equip professionals with practical tools to identify and mitigate potential threats, making him a sought-after speaker and educator across various industries.
While he continues to consult on select cases, Dr. Brooks now dedicates much of his time to developing and delivering advanced training and educational content, helping organisations navigate challenges related to behavioural risk in a dynamic world.
Kris Illingsworth is an FBI-trained and internationally certified Criminal Profiler specialising in Behavioural Threat Assessment and Management; the globally recognised best practice and evidence based method for preventing targeted violence. As a Behavioural Threat Specialist, Kris works with clients experiencing threat or risk of harm posed by persons of concern across various settings, including stalking, domestic violence, workplace violence, school violence, insider threats, and concerning communications.
Underpinned by 25 years of law enforcement experience with New South Wales Police Force working as a Detective, Intelligence Analyst and Violent Crime Linkage Analyst on major crime investigations and as the state’s only Criminal Profiler, combined with international training and certifications in Behavioural Threat Assessment and Management, Kris brings holistic behavioural analysis experience to law enforcement, education providers, corporate, and private clients seeking to mitigate risk of targeted harm, fear or disruption to workplaces and personal lives.
Kris’ motivation for working in this field is to help people and workplaces recognise and respond effectively to situations of concern before personal safety crises arise.
Rebecca Laska has 20 years’ combined experience in psychological practice, teaching and leadership coaching. Rebecca has been a Senior Psychologist for the NSW Police working closely with the leadership tier in managing workplace pressures, trauma responding and developing strong leadership skills for a highly dynamic environment.
Rebecca also has extensive experience with responding to workplace traumas having worked as a psychologist for EAP provider Davidson Trahaire Corpsych. There she consulted on the management of acute trauma after critical incidents for clients such as emergency services and major banks. As part of her role, she was the lead facilitator for the Beyond Blue National Workplace program upskilling leaders in cultivating psychological safety.
She also specializes in intervention plans for a variety of presentations including depression, anxiety, OCD, substance abuse and gambling.
Before practicing as a psychologist, she worked for TAFENSW delivering business management courses in leadership and communications skills. Rebecca brings a broad range of expertise to consulting and training delivery with bespoke options available.
Other Speakers
Peter Moroney, Director of Investigations and Risk, Nemesis Consultancy Group Pty Ltd
Peter served 18 years with the NSW Police Force, including 10 years in the Terrorism Investigations Squad. As a Senior Investigator on Operation Pendennis (NSW), one of Australia’s largest terrorism investigations and criminal trials, he contributed to complex national security investigations and the development of counter-terrorism capability within policing.
Peter designed and developed the NSW Police Counter Terrorism Investigations Course and helped develop terrorism indicators for frontline policing. His work has also included risk assessments and emergency reviews for government and education organisations, as well as contributions to operational reviews of major incidents including the Lindt Café siege (under legal privilege).
In 2008 Nemesis Consultancy Group Pty Ltd was founded by former NSW Police Commissioner Ken Moroney AO APM and his son, Peter Moroney, a former Detective Sergeant. The Nemesis Consultancy Group operates across Australia and, when required, internationally, and includes specialised companies such as The Australian Institute for Security and Investigations Training, National Workplace Investigations and Child Safe Specialists Australia.
Alex Sakis, Director Specialist Risk Response Unit, NSW Department of Education
Alex Sakis is the Director of the Specialist Risk Response Unit within the NSW Department of Education, where he leads the Department’s response to complex and high risk matters affecting schools and educational settings across New South Wales.
Alex brings more than two decades of experience in policing, investigations and risk management. Prior to joining the Department of Education, he served with the NSW Police in a range of operational and investigative roles, developing extensive expertise in threat assessment, incident response and interagency coordination.
In his current role, Alex oversees specialist advice and support to schools on serious and emerging risks, including violence, threats, critical incidents and complex behavioural concerns. He works closely with school leaders, regional teams and partner agencies to strengthen prevention, preparedness and response capability across the state.
Alex is widely respected for his calm, practical and solutions focused approach to managing contentious issues and for helping school leaders make confident decisions in challenging circumstances.
Ismail Kirgiz, Sergeant – Hate Crime Coordinator, Engagement and Hate Crime Unit, NSW Police Force
Ismail (Ish) Kirgiz is a Sergeant – Hate Crime Coordinator with the NSW Police Force, currently working within the Engagement and Hate Crime Unit. With extensive policing experience, Ish specialises in community engagement, hate crime prevention and responding to emerging risks that impact social cohesion and public safety.
In his current role, Ish works closely with government agencies, education sectors and community organisations to address complex issues relating to hate, extremism and community safety. He brings a strong operational understanding of risk identification, behavioural indicators and the broader social factors that can influence harmful conduct.
Ish is recognised for his ability to translate policing intelligence and frontline experience into practical, actionable strategies that support schools and communities to build awareness, strengthen resilience and respond effectively to risk.
Chris Barker, President/Founder, First Cordon Threat Mitigation System ™
Chris brings a wealth of frontline and investigative experience to his role, having served 21 years with the New Zealand Police as a Senior Sergeant leading teams focused on organised crime and high-risk response.
Drawing on his experience as a first responder during the 15 March Christchurch terror attacks, Chris developed a national training programme to enhance staff safety and tactical intelligence.
Chris was a trainer under the Australia and New Zealand Counter Terrorism Committee, delivering training across Australia and New Zealand focusing on supporting tactical teams to get a fast and accurate resolutions.
Chris founded First Cordon, a company that offers security audits and assessments, training and development, and emergency response planning, as well as a Threat Mitigation System™ that can pinpoint a threat and direct law enforcement straight to the source without any wasted time.
A Unique Feature of the Nemesis School Safety Forum
A key feature of the School Safety Forum is our focus on translating insight into action. Post event, Nemesis Consultancy Group consolidates the key learnings from across the two days, including frameworks, tools and practical approaches shared by presenters and practitioners.
We curate and provide access to relevant research, guidance materials, operational resources and supporting content referenced throughout the forum which will be presented in a clear, structured format. This ensures participants can readily apply learning within their own context and continue critical conversations with their teams.
This approach supports sustained impact beyond the event, enabling schools and systems to strengthen their safety, preparedness and response capabilities with confidence.
Getting There
Club Parramatta
Parramatta NSW, Australia
Register Today
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