Rate My Professor Tamara Blakemore

Professor Tamara Blakemore is a Professor in the School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences within the College of Human and Social Futures at the University of Newcastle. She earned her PhD, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) from the University of Queensland. Her research specializations include the lived experience of trauma and its impacts on interpersonal processes, youth violence, child sexual abuse, family disadvantage, resilience, community wellbeing, and best practices in family law contexts involving violence. Blakemore leads the Name.Narrate.Navigate (NNN) program, delivering direct services, professional training, resource design, and research for youth violence prevention, which has secured over $2 million in funding from state, federal, and corporate sources. She remains actively involved in clinical practice in acute trauma settings and volunteer roles supporting vulnerable community members. Her work has influenced policy and practice responses to victims and perpetrators of violence, abuse, and trauma across regional, state, and federal levels.

Blakemore's career includes serving as social work lecturer and coordinator of the field-education program at the University of Newcastle, Field Education Coordinator, and acting Head of Discipline for Social Work. She holds additional appointments as Honorary Associate at Macquarie University, Conjoint researcher at the University of Newcastle Family Action Centre, Adjunct at the University of South Australia, and former Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University. She is a member of the Families and Children Expert Panel and an industry provider for the Federal Department of Social Services, and chairs KidSafe Hunter. Major awards include the College Excellence Award for Industry Engagement (College of Human and Social Futures, 2022), Faculty Excellence Award for Research Engagement and Translation (Faculty of Education and Arts, 2020), Dean's Award for Excellence in Collaboration (2017), Work Integrated Learning Staff Member of the Year (2014, 2012), and Lake Macquarie City Council 2026 Ambassador. Key publications encompass the book 'Working with Youth Violence: The Name.Narrate.Navigate Program' (2023), 'The impacts of institutional child sexual abuse: A rapid review of the evidence' (Child Abuse & Neglect, 2017, 219 citations), 'Rural, Regional and Remote Social Work: Practice Research from Australia' (2016), and 'Now.See.Hear!: A Visual Conversation Tool for Trauma-Informed Practice with Justice-Involved Youth' (Australian Social Work, 2025).