8 July 2024

ACWA Strategy to Action Day August 2024

ACWA members and invited guests are encouraged to attend ACWA’s Q2/24 Strategy to Action Day on Thursday 1st August at the Sydney Masonic Centre. For those unable to attend in person, the event will also be hosted as a virtual experience.
With a program offering compelling sessions across two streams, this one-day event has been curated by ACWA’s sector development specialists, with a vision to impart learnings from new evidence-based research, and foster important discussions that will help inform future policy recommendations.
We strongly encourage the attendance of staff from all ACWA member organisations, including essential frontline specialists, project officers, policymakers and senior leadership, and value the meaningful contribution a diverse audience can make towards the conversation, as the sector prepares to undergo considerable reform.
Guests are asked to select from one of two available streams: Family Preservation/Domestic and Family Violence or Out-of-home Care/Child Protection.

Provisional Program for Q2/24 Strategy to Action Day: Thursday 1st August

Stream one: Family Preservation and Domestic & Family Violence—with special guests from Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS)
From 9:30am
Registration upon arrival and networking
10am–12pm (including break for morning tea)
Presentations by research staff from Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS):
DFV and Young People—a synthesis of recent research
Safe & Together 2015–24: What have we learned about addressing child safety
12pm–1pm
Networking lunch and refreshments
1pm–2:30pm
ANROWS Workshop and Discussion
Provider insights into children’s experiences of coercive control
Stream two: Out-of-home Care and Child Protection—What is the future of caring?
From 9:30am
Registration upon arrival and networking
10am–12pm (includes morning tea)
Presentation: NSW Foster Carer Demographic Outlook
Simon Kuestenmacher (The Demographics Group)
Panel: State Peaks‘ (VIC, QLD, SA)
Jurisdictional approaches to OOHC challenges incl. the decline in foster carers
12pm–1pm
Networking lunch and refreshments
1pm–2:30pm
ACWA Members’ Workshop
NSW OOHC Reforms: Positioning the sector for success in a changing OOHC landscape

Virtual Experience

While we hope to see many members face-to-face, we also recognise that not all will be able to attend in person. Both sessions will be live-streamed for online audiences and participants will also have the opportunity to join in online group discussions during the two interactive workshops held in the afternoon.
These forums are free for ACWA members and provide the opportunity to:
  • Connect and network with sector colleagues (even online!)
  • Hear about latest studies and evidence
  • Share and discuss experiences impacting the children, young people and families you’re supporting.
Thank you to all the presenters and panelists.
Photos from the ACWA Strategy to Action Day on 7th March 2024