Elspeth McInnes

Professor Elspeth McInnes is a sociologist in education at the University of South Australia (UniSA), affiliated with UniSA Education Futures. Her work focuses on child protection in early education, family violence policies, and social inequality. She holds a professorial rank and actively contributes to research-teaching-engagement nexus initiatives. Her research investigates educator strategies for supporting vulnerable children and families through trauma-informed pedagogy, multilingual literacy programs in Fiji, and systemic reforms in family law. She is a co-author of influential books like Harmful Sexual Behaviour in Young Children and Children's Multilingual Literacy. McInnes collaborates with organizations like Gowrie SA and Monash University on projects addressing childhood trauma, family violence, and policy impacts. She supervises Higher Degree Research students and teaches online courses in early childhood education. Her work emphasizes community-based solutions and cross-cultural collaborations.

Key research areas include:

• Child protection frameworks and wellbeing in early childhood settings
• Legal and policy responses to family violence
• Trauma-informed classroom practices
• Language development in multilingual communities

Her publications span journal articles and book chapters analyzing topics like pedagogical leadership in childcare centers, gendered violence dynamics, and Fiji's community literacy programs.