A tremendous thank you to the 100+ attendees from ACWA member agencies who attended our first Strategy to Action Day for 2024, and to the 20 speakers, panellists and Chairs who generously shared their insights, new ideas and expertise through a series of presentations and panel discussions.

We were fortunate to have Brendan Kerin from the Metropolitan Aboriginal Local Land Council deliver a powerful Welcome to Country, before a packed program of All-in and Breakout sessions on topics relating to OOHC transition, fresh approaches to relational care, strengthening engagement with families and using data to tell our stories effectively, followed by a complimentary lunch while catching up with colleagues.

Many of the great presentations that captured the imagination of our audience – including the popular BOCSAR and FACSIAR slides that had everyone talking – are available to view below.

A special mention to CREATE Foundation‘s guest speaker, who generously shared her lived experience of the struggles she faces as a young person who’s recently transitioned to living independently from OOHC; her accounts were truly heartbreaking and we thank her for telling her story.

Panel: OOHC Transition to Independence
What works in supporting young people during this crucial time?

Kristen Day
Operations Manager, Southern Youth and Family Services (SYFS)

Angela Bontea
Executive Director, Child, Youth, Family & Disability, CASPA Services Ltd

Louise Smeaton
Head of Southern NSW and ACT Communities, Uniting

Scott Wheeler
Aftercare Assistance, Care Leaver Line, DCJ

Imogen Edeson
Advocacy and Influencing Manager, CREATE Foundation

Panel: Engaging Families in Change

Tamara Grant
Aboriginal Service Delivery Specialist, Uniting

Melissa Gordon
General Manager, Social Futures

Henrietta Foulds
Director Operations, Child Youth & Family, The Benevolent Society

Panel: Relational Care

Errin Schumann
Family Specialist/Training and Consultancy Manager, Allambi Care

April Edler
Head of Out-of-Home Care, Wesley Mission

Ghassan Noujaim
Head of Multicultural Child and Family Program, Settlement Services International (SSI)

Jarrod Wheatley
Founder and CEO, Professional Individualised Care (PIC)

Panel: Storytelling with Data

Melissa Gordon
General Manager, Social Futures

William Van Trump
Operations Manager Family Preservation, Wesley Mission

Jared Gillard
NSW Director of Services, Oz Child

Panel: DATA, DATA, DATA: What do the numbers tell us about family vulnerability and why that’s important?

Suzanne Poynton
Director, Research and Evaluation, NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOSCAR)

Peter Reily – available upon request. Please email acwa@acwa.asn.au
Director Performance Analysis, Department of Family and Community Services/FACSIAR

Save the date for the next event!

A date for your diary—the next Strategy to Action event will be held on August 1. Please stay connected via our E-newsletter to find out how you can register for this free sector-wide event.

Presentations from the November 2023 Strategy to Action Day:

Children’s Court Practice Note 17 | Designated Agencies in Children’s Court Practice  Jane Smith, Principal Solicitor, Care Legal

Functional Family Therapy | Child Welfare  Jared Gillard, OzChild

Domestic and Family Violence and Child Protection  Kate Alexander, Senior Practitioner, Department of Communities and Justice

Preserving a Vital System | Foster Care Reimagined  Dr Lisa Griffiths, CEO, OzChild

The Carer Journey  Jane Cohen-Cramp & Annabella Dean, Key Assets

Please note that Dr BJ Newton’s slides are not available publicly and cannot be shared.