The award was first made in 1964 and has been made each year since to a person who is considered by the Club, ‘not only to have achieved a high level of excellence in his or her vocation but through such vocation has rendered outstanding service to the community.

Our Vocational Service Team are very thrilled to announce the awardee of this year's Vocational Service Award.  Dr Joe Tucci will receive this Award.  He is a very worthy awardee for his work as CEO, Australian Childhood Foundation.

Dr Joe Tucci is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Childhood Foundation. Joe is a registered psychologist and social worker with significant experience in child protection and working therapeutically with children. He has worked in the field of child abuse intervention and education for more than 20 years.

He has acted as consultant to a range of State Government Departments on child protection, family violence, youth justice and child welfare evaluative projects. He has demonstrated experience in developing and implementing child focused therapeutic programs and child abuse prevention campaigns. He has also served on a number of advisory bodies including the Australian Council for Children and Parenting.

Joe completed his Doctorate into emotional child abuse at Monash University in 2005. He has presented at national and international conferences on family therapy and child abuse. His writing has been published in both Australian and international academic journals and the broader media. He is a strong advocate for the rights and needs of all children, particularly children who have suffered the trauma of abuse and neglect.

Joe graduated with Honours in Psychology (1986) and Honours in Social Work (1988) from Monash University. His experience includes child protection work, family counselling within community health services, and child abuse research with the Department of Social Work at Monash University. He has been a guest lecturer in child abuse and family therapy at Monash, La Trobe and Deakin Universities.

He is an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow with Child Abuse Prevention Research Australia (CAPRA) at Monash University. He has been awarded a Creswick Foundation Fellowship in Child and Family Relationships to work with the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) in the United Kingdom. Joe is well known for his training and writing about the neurobiology of trauma and the effects of violation on the development of children and young people.