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Family Relationship Service National Conference
Collective Wisdom: together we are better
5-7 November 2008
Shangri-La Hotel, The Marina, Cairns QLD
Family Relationship Services Australia's Inaugural national conference 'Collective Wisdom: together we are better' in Cairns November 2008 was a great success. The conference offered a great opportunity for sharing knowledge and identifying and progressing collaborative practice. Please see below for available conference papers. To find a specific paper refer to the Conference Program and the day/session below.
Over 315 people attended the conference over three days with an average of 290 people attending on each day. Evaluation feedback was provided through a written or online survey completed by 161 conference delegates. The Conference Evaluation report is available here.
Re-partnering with children  Daniela Zimmerman (Stepfamilies Australia)
Working with Men  Andrew King (Mensline Australia)
Family Group Conferencing Patricia Kiely (UnitingCare Burnside)
Opening Address  The Hon Robert McClelland MP, Attorney-General
Panel: Vision and action steps for achieving a paradigm shift in the way we respond to family separation involving dispute and conflict
Inter-profressional practice - Family Lawyers and Family Dispute Resolution Practitioners
Enhancing inter-professional relationships in a changing family law system  Associate Professor Helen Rhoades (Melbourne Law School)
Collaborative practice in Canberra and Australia - what has worked, what has not worked, where are we now? Julie Dobinson (Dobinson Davey Lawyers)
Collaborative practice in the sticks - what does it take? , Presentation Rebecca Eberle & Helen McGowan (Upper Murray Family Care)
Engaging Indigenous Communities & Families
Reflections on delivering group programs to uniquely diverse audiences Leanne Broadbent (Anglicare WA)
Integrated Approaches to Intake and Assessment
Working together for sustainable outcomes Lil Beamish & Karen Irwin (Upper Murray Family Care)
Innovative approaches to assessment and service delivery powerpoint presentation Karen Field & Helen Rimington (Drummond Street Relationship Centre)
Crossing program boundaries Samantha Aldridge & Natasha Rae (Relationships Australia QLD)
Working with Schools and Early Childhood Settings
Restorative conferencing Margaret Hunter (Upper Hume Community Health Service) & Maree Cribbes (Wodonga Middle Years College)
Working together for young families – Relationships Australia NSW and Sydney Day Nurseries Children’s Services Gary Hodson (Relationships Australia NSW)
Fathers using Networks (FUN) for Kids programs Scott Hall (Relationships Australia VIC)
Relationship Enrichment
Overview of research on family strengths and engaging families in programs to strengthen relationship Robyn Parker (Australian Institute of Family Studies)
A 4 year evaluation of Group work in Western Sydney - what have we learnt? What really works? Patricia Kiely (UnitingCare Burnside)
Panel: Expert panel discussion – safety for women and children in family relationship services
Elspeth McInnes (University of South Australia), Presentation
Lisa Whittaker-Nichols (Anglicare WA), Presentation Powerpoint
Embedding a public health approach to mental health within a family relationship service
Karen Field & Reima Pryor (Drummond Street Relationship Centre), Presentation
Enhancing parenting capacity
Participatory action research: Improving the capacity of parents to respond to children’s needs Associate Professor Mary Oliver (University of South Australia)
Sourcing useful data and research
Sourcing useful data and statistics: Australian Family Relationships Clearinghouse and other resources Elly Robinson (Australian Institute of Family Studies)
Keynotes
International Keynote: Strengthening families: using evidence to build effective policies and interventions Professor Michael Little (Dartington Social Research Unit, UK and Chapin Hall Center for Children, University of Chicago)
Australia’s child support system – looking to the future Senator the Hon Joe Ludwig, Minister for Human Services
Address Senator the Hon Ursula Stephens, Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector
Research presentation: The evidence for father engagement Dr Richard Fletcher (Family Action Centre, University of Newcastle)
Models of mediation
Is staged mediation appropriate? Dr Alan Campbell (University of South Australia)
Innovative models of mediation in family relationship centres Professor Thea Brown (Monash University) & Jill Armstrong (Family Life)
Inter-professional practice - family relationship services and child protection
Child protection and family law Megan Soloman & Clive Price (UnitingCare Unifam)
Collaborative practice and innovation: A partnership between child protection and community services , Case Study Point Form , Gaby Thomson (Anglicare VIC)
Integrating secondary and primary services - lessons from Child FIRST North East Metro Bernadette Burchell (Children's Protection Society)
Engaging men and dads
What is ‘father engagement’ and how do you do it? Jennifer St George (Family Action Centre, University of Newcastle)
Post separation parenting and patterns of shared care
Shared parental responsibility and children's best interests Associate Professor Dale Bagshaw (Hawke Research Institute)
What mum did what dad did – past patterns of care , Word Document Becky Batagol (Lecturer, Monash University) & Zoe Rathus (Senior Lecturer, Griffith University Law School)
Measuring child wellbeing
Epidemiology to measure children’s outcomes (and influences upon this) in order to inform strategies and services for children and families Tim Hobbs (Dartington Social Research Unit, UK)
The power of child focus
The power of child focus Jonathon Toussaint, Karen Morris & Rachel Evans (Interrelate Family Centres)
Family connections: A parenting program with a difference
Family connections: A parenting program with a difference Fiona McDonald & Michael Sheehan (Relationships Australia WA)
Community Leaders on Strategic Issues
What keeps us awake at night? Strategic issues for community organisations Dr Chris Jones (CEO, Anglicare TAS)
A national compact - what's in it for government, what's in it for the sector? Frank Quinlan (Executive Director, Catholic Social Services Australia)
Culturally responsive practice in family dispute resolution
Culturally responsive family dispute resolution Dr Susan Armstrong (University of Western Sydney)
Cross cultural exploration of mediation – a collaborative approach between Relationships Australia WA & Multicultural Services Centre WA , Mandy Flahavin (Relationships Australia WA)
An introduction to parent effectiveness training for professionals
An introduction to parent effectiveness training for professionals Larissa Dann (ParentLine ACT)
Working with Stepfamilies
Introduction to re-partnering with children Daniela Zimmermann (Stepfamilies Australia)
Games we play in the third space
Non traditional methods of assisting with trauma and resettlement , Highrise Flyer Game , Sweet & Sour Settlement Game , Jill Parris (Ecumenical Migration Centre, Brotherhood of St Laurance)
Practioner consultation and update - evaluation of family law reforms
Practitioner consultation and update - evaluation of family law reforms Associate Professor Lawrie Maloney and Kelly Hand (Australian Institute of Family Studies)
Social Inclusion
Placing families with young children on the social inclusion agenda: the importance of multiple adversity, Professor Bryan Rodgers (The Australian Demographic and Social Research Institute, Australian National University)
PRINCIPLE SPONSORS:
The conference had two principal sponsors: The Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) and the Attorney-General's Department (AGD).
OTHER SPONSORS:
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Sponsorship of the conference offers an exceptional opportunity to support the sharing of knowledge and practice to enhance collaborative approaches to our work within family relationship services and across related service sectors. For further information, please contact Bonnie Montgomery on 02 6162 1811 or communications@frsa.org.au. |
