As a child, Ruby O’Rourke needed adults to see she was in danger. Now, she’s building technology to help recognise when other children need help.
Ruby is the Founder and CEO of SAFE, a digital platform that helps identify patterns in child safety concerns, enabling adults to recognise potential risks earlier.
This project is personal for Ruby. As a 10-year-old, she suffered life-threatening violence at the hands of her father. Creating SAFE was Ruby’s way of giving back.
“I can’t stand the idea of any other child going through what I’ve gone through,” says Ruby. She says adults missed the signs that she needed help.
Ruby’s lived experience has helped her navigate the challenges of SAFE as a new technology. She has strived to support privacy and security requirements, and reduce bias in the platform.
“This is the most important work I’ve ever done,” Ruby says.
If this story brings up difficult feelings, talk to a trusted adult or contact:
- Kids Helpline: Call 1800 55 1800 or Chat Online
A free, private and confidential 24/7 phone and online counselling service for ages 5–25. - Headspace: Call 1800 650 890 or Chat Online
Early intervention mental health services for 12–25 year olds.
Connecting the dots
A child who is withdrawn, missing activities or changing their eating habits might need support. But when different adults each notice one tiny thing, those observations can slip under the radar.
SAFE is a place for adults to record these observations. “It creates a layer of safety for all children – whether in school or sports clubs, playing soccer, football or swimming,” Ruby says.
“It’s a tool that enables people to make an observation. Not an accusation, not an assumption,” says Ruby. “It’s a bit like Crime Stoppers.”
Inside SAFE, machine learning helps identify patterns, while natural language processing helps the platform analyse written notes.
SAFE was developed over 12 years with help from CSIRO and National ICT Australia, the University of Queensland and the Child Abuse Prevention Service.
The program has already been trained using more than 68,900 real child safety concerns. It’s achieved approximately 97% accuracy across trials.
By helping adults recognise patterns across observations, SAFE aims to support earlier intervention and help child safety professionals prioritise concerns. Professionals, including social workers, remain responsible for assessing situations and deciding how to respond.
Be part of the solution
If you’re keen to make a difference, Ruby sees plenty of opportunity for “outcome brokers” like her.
An outcome broker is a leader who is focused on impact and real-world outcomes, rather than just managing tasks or projects. “I love the idea of our young people thinking like outcome brokers,” Ruby says.
To do this, Ruby recommends finding a project you’re personally passionate about. “It’s on the hard days that passion matters, because that’s what’ll get you out of bed,” she says.
So take the chance to tap into your passion for all things digital. Like Ruby, you could make a difference by applying your tech skills to care for others.
Ruby’s path
- Station Manager, Mt Eden Gold
- Lecturer, Griffith University and Queensland Government
- Producer, National Geographic and ABC
- Founder and CEO, HubHello
- Director, Healthy Australia
- Independent candidate for Macnamara
- Founder and CEO, SAFE Inc
