CHILD SAFETY | INVESTIGATIONS | SAFEGUARDING
REGULATION | COMPLIANCE
_edited.png)
INTEGRITY, EXPERTISE, STRATEGY & IMPARTIALITY WHEN YOUR ORGANISATION NEEDS IT MOST.
Withers Innes is a partnership founded by Nicole Withers and Stephen Innes dedicated to delivering fair, intelligent, and compassionate investigative services that protect children and strengthen communities.
​
Our mission is to help service providers maintain compliance and uphold child safety through a start-to-finish investigative model supported by transparent, negotiated service costs. This approach ensures accessibility, reliability, and peace of mind for our clients.
​
With combined expertise in investigative practices and compliance frameworks, Withers Innes offers a 24/7 outsourced solution that promotes professional, ethical, and responsive investigations tailored to meet the demands of modern businesses. We pride ourselves on being a trusted partner for organisations committed to safeguarding the most vulnerable members of society.
WHAT WE DO
At Withers Innes, our services are designed to provide families, organisations, and professionals with clarity, protection, and peace of mind. Every client receives a balanced, ethical, and human-centred approach that prioritises safeguarding and compliance.
​
We specialise in:
-
Investigations – Comprehensive, impartial inquiries into compliance and child safety matters.
-
Critical Incident Response – Immediate, expert support during high-risk or urgent situations.
-
Safeguarding Compliance & Advisory – Guidance to ensure adherence to child protection and regulatory standards.
-
Regulatory Response – Assistance in managing and responding to compliance audits or investigations.
​
Our outsourcing model ensures businesses receive expert investigative services at negotiated, agreed costs, providing predictable pricing and professional support tailored to organisational needs. This approach guarantees 24/7 availability, promotes ethical and transparent practices, and complements the demands of modern service providers.
INVESTIGATIONS
We are the only Specialist ECEC and NGIS Investigation Team in Australia.
We work specifically with matters within the scope of the Education & Care Services National Law and the Reportable Conduct Schemes across all Australian jurisdictions. Sometimes our investigations overlap with workplace investigations and our reports often elicit important evidence in this process. We know the law and we know how to apply it.
CONSULTING
We can assist in the preparation of
regulatory responses and provide
mandatory reporting guidance.
Many clients ask for our assistance
in responding to Show Cause
Notices, Administrative Actions,
Compliance Actions and
Prohibitions.
Others reach out for guidance and
review of internal investigations to
ensure they are complete and fair.
INTERVIEWING CHILDREN
For many reasons, interviewing
children is almost impossible. Our
investigators are trained, certified
and skilled specialist child
interviewers. We proudly use
international best practice to
interview children through a
trauma informed lens. We are
certified child interviewers trained
by the Centre for Investigative
Interviewing (Griffith University)
and the New South Wales Police
Force.
COLLABORATION IS OUR VIBE.
The partnership between Nicole Withers and Stephen Innes brings together a unique blend of expertise in compliance, safeguarding, and investigative practices. Nicole’s deep knowledge of regulatory frameworks and child protection standards complements Stephen’s extensive experience in managing complex criminal and coronial investigations. Together, they offer a powerful combination of technical skill, strategic insight, and a human-centred approach to every case.
​
This collaboration ensures that Withers Innes delivers services that are not only thorough and impartial but also compassionate and ethical. By combining investigative precision with compliance expertise, Withers Innes provides organisations with a trusted partner capable of navigating sensitive issues while maintaining integrity and transparency.
OUR TEAM.
WE ARE PROBLEM SOLVERS.
Organisations choose Withers Innes because we provide:
-
Expertise You Can Trust – Decades of combined experience in investigations and compliance.
-
24/7 Availability – Immediate support for critical incidents and urgent matters.
-
Ethical, Human-Centred Approach – Every investigation prioritises fairness, child safety, and community trust.
-
Predictable, Negotiated Costs – Transparent pricing models tailored to organisational needs.
-
Start-to-Finish Support – From initial inquiry to regulatory response, we manage the entire process.
We are more than an investigative service—we are a strategic partner committed to protecting children, supporting service providers, and strengthening communities.
​
COMPLIANCE IS TRICKY. WE DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME AND EVERY TIME.
ECEC and NGIS responsibilities concerning child safety are increasingly complex. The regulatory and legal environments are hard to navigate. Internal investigations are time consuming, emotionally taxing and costly. Our Team work efficiently and effectively resolve your compliance and reporting obligations.
If you are unsure about your obligations or need a matter resolved quickly, we can assist with:
-
Immediate response to serious incidents or complaints;
-
Consulting Services - incident reviews, reporting obligations advice, general guidance;
-
Full independent investigation services - end to end;
-
Specialist and accredited child and witness interviews.
Engaging an independent investigator and maintaining a corporate commitment to child safety should not be a cost burden for organisations. We are committed to ensuring that children are safe and we know you are too, we guarantee that our services are financially accessible to every organisations, Australia wide. We meet the needs of your business and proudly support our clients both online and in person.
We aim to complete all of our investigations within 30 days - we are efficient and experienced. we get the job done with compassion and a laser focussed lens to ease the financial and emotional burden on your organisation, staff children and everyone involved.
Contact us today for a confidential, obligation free discussion about how Withers Innes can help your business.
​
WE ARE COMMITTED TO HELPING ORGANISATIONS MEET THEIR SOCIAL, LEGAL AND REGULATORY OBLIGATIONS WHEN IT COMES TO CHILD SAFETY.
The Education and Care Services National Law (the National Law) sets a national standard for children’s education and care services across Australia. Non-Government and Independent Schools are governed by Registration Standards within Education legislation. Compliance with these laws is enforced by State or Territory Regulators. These laws list offences committed by Proprietors, Providers, Nominated Supervisors and Educators.
Our Investigators know the these laws, standards and every associated offence - inside and out. We know which questions to ask to quickly determine whether or not a breach is likely (or more likely than not) to have occurred.
Our experience in this industry has shown us that the cost/benefit of engaging an independent investigator will often outweigh the time, financial and emotional burden of completing an internal investigation. We are confident that by engaging ECEC Investigations you will save time and money, leaving staff and managers to focus on ensuring that children across Australia are receiving the best early education and care in a child safe space.
If you are unsure about your organisation’s compliance with the ECS National Law or have concerns about meeting statutory requirements, speak with one of our partners, obligation free.
​
GET IN TOUCH.
CANBERRA
NEWCASTLE & HUNTER VALLEY
SOUTH COAST, NSW
