20
Sunday 8th November
15.30 19.30
Registration
18.30 20.00 Venue
Official opening and cocktail reception The Star - Balcony & Exhibition Area.
Monday 9th November 7.30 - 8.45
Registration
8.45
Welcome to Country
Venue
The Star Conference Centre - Rooms A & B
9.45
Venue
Official opening, including Ms Deborah Cheetham Plenary Session - Opening Keynote Speaker The Star Conference Centre
9.45
Foster Care ROI… Child welfare professionals and foster/adoptive parents have big hearts and they work tirelessly to be a conduit for youth to live their dreams and create the lives that they desire after care. During the uphill battle of positively molding a youth to be all that they can be fatigue sometimes sets in and causes both professionals and parents to ask themselves “Am I doing the right thing? Am I really making a difference? Kevin Brown (USA)
10.15
Morning Tea
10.45
Plenary Session - An international perspective…
10.45
Same but different Foster care is organized and provided differently across the world however the carers voice, and their needs are the same the world over, but who's listening? Estella Abraham (UK)
11.15
Foster care overview from around the world. Presenters from aound the World
11.40
Plenary Session - A foster child’s perspective
11.40
50 Faces of success Neil McFarlane(AUS)
11.45
Engaging with children and young people in care - What they want you to know Tracey Shipton - (NZ)
12.00
Me, Myself and I This presentation will explore ideas of multiple identities, agency and voice from the perspective of a care leaver, focusing specifically on the role of interactions in children’s lives Danielle Douglas (Ireland)
12.30
Improving the outcomes of children and young people in care First findings from interviews with children and caregivers, an overview of the Pathways Of Care Longitudinal Study with latest wave published by November 2015
Venue Venue
The Star - Balcony & Exhibition Area. The Star Conference Centre - Rooms A & B
Marilyn Chilvers (AUS)
13.00
Lunch
14.00
Plenary Session - It’s all about the connections… Sponsored by Life Without Barriers
14.00
Welcome back Robi Mack
14.10
Connecting with laughter Steven Bloom (AUD)
14.25
Listening to Children and Young People. Listening to Children and Young People. Listening to the views of children and young people in out of home care is a widely accepted principle in supporting wellbeing and delivering positive outcomes. Recent public focus on the safety and wellbeing of children and young people in institutional care through the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and various Inquiries reinforces the importance of children and young people being listened to, and timely and effective responses to their concerns. Recognising the intersection between children’s voices and child safety, in late 2014 Life Without Barriers commenced an initiative to talk to every child and young person across the country in our care about their safety and wellbeing. In providing an overview of the methodology and results of this innovative initiative, this presentation will share what this large cohort of children in care had to say, and how this information can be used to strengthen the safety and wellbeing of children and young people in care.
Venue Venue
The Star - Balcony & Exhibition Area. The Star Conference Centre - Rooms A & B
Claire Robbs (AUD) 14.55
Successfully fostering 21st century kids Today’s kids have different values, interests, and anxieties, and ways of interacting with the world..In this powerful presentation foster parents and professionals will be given a series of take-home tips on how best to capture the attention of their boys and girls, how to stretch and encourage, and empower them, and help keep them safe. Maggie Hamilton(AUS)
15.30
Afternoon Tea
16.00
Plenary Session - Understanding the teen years…
16.00
The Teenage Brain - closed for renovations… This presentation explores and explains the latest understandings of the adolescent brain and the changes that are taking place. An understanding of these changes allows us to be innovative in our approach to young people. Nathan Wallis (NZ)
16.30
Just puppy love? Young people, intimacy and respectful relationships Research shows that young people spend a great deal of time thinking about, talking about, and being in relationships, and that their relationships and friendships mean a great deal to them. Despite this, young people’s intimate relationships are frequently trivialized as mere ‘puppy love’ and the emphasis in education still tends to be on biological risks associated with sexual activity, rather than the social and emotional aspects of relationships. In this talk, Nina Funnell will discuss some of the concerns and challenges that young people have in connection with their relationships, providing insights to parents and carers about how to support young people at this stage in life.
Venue Venue
The Star - Balcony & Exhibition Area. The Star Conference Centre - Rooms A & B
Nina Funnell (AUD) 17.00
IFCO Annual General Meeting - The Star Conference Centre - Room A
18.00>
Free night for delegates
21
22
Tuesday 10th November
7.30 - 8.30 08.00
Venue
Registration 1A
Knowledge is power : Training and support for carers
The Star Conference Centre - Room A
08.00
Venue
1B Voices of Diversity In Care The Star Conference Centre - Room B
Chair
Claire Robbs
Chair
Michael Higgins
15 mins
Issues and challenges in the provision of therapeutic foster care in Australia Anita Pell (AUS)
15 mins
Indigenous Care and Education with Kentish Dale Austin (AUS)
15 mins
Caring is a Brain Thing Noel MacNamara (AUS)
15 mins
Aboriginal Kinship Care: Culturally safe care for children or a cheap alternative to foster care Julian Pocock (AUS)
15 mins
Self Care - what is working for carers? Bobbie Zanloren (AUS)
15 mins
Culture is Healing: Journies to belonging and identity Sarah Diplock (AUS)
15 mins
Promoting attachment in foster carers Karleen Gribble (AUS)
15 mins
Aboriginal Cultural Connections: Everyone’s responsibility Terri Bird (AUS)
15 mins
Engaging with foster carers in the development of supports and training based on their needs: what do they say? Sara McLean(AUS)
15 mins
Engaging CALD Foster and Kinship Carers: Transition, connection and collaboration Tamena Yarak (AUS)
15 min
Evidence- based skills training for foster carers: The experience of the KEEP programme in England Helen Jones(UK)
15 mins
The Voices of Aboriginal Kids in Care Julie Welsh(AUS)
15 mins
Supporting infants, who have had life stressors, find sleep. Helen Stevens(AUS)
15 mins
Ensuring Inclusion of Children from Marginalised Communities in India Malay Dewanji (India)
15 mins
From IRC to IFC an alternative Care Model - The possibilities, probabilities and challenges Vanessa Smith (AUS)
15 mins
Transforming Carer Assessments Practice: Introducing Winangay Resources across Australia Aunty Sue Blacklock (AUS) Prof Fiona Arney, Paula Hayden (AUS)
10.00
Morning Tea
10.30
2A Permanency planning: Stable life journeys
08.00
2B Changing face of foster care: Recruiting and keeping carers.
Venue Venue
The Star - Balcony & Exhibition Area.
The Star Conference Centre - Room A
Venue
The Star Conference Centre - Room B
Chair
Myra Craig
Chair
Rob Ryan
15 mins
Adoption from care after traumatic abuse and neglect: A 30 years study of open adoption in Australia Lynn Moggach -(AUS)
15 mins
Key Developmental Assets: evidence based recording of children’s progress in foster care Judith Wilkinson(AUS)
15 mins
Longterm Outcomes for Older Care leavers Elizabeth Fernandez (AUS)
15 mins
When Family Care - Peeling back the layers Hayley Robinette(AUS)
15 mins
Achievements and challenges in De-institutionalisation programs globally with special focus on Europe Maria Herczog (Hungary)
15 mins
No more apologies: the experience of siblings separated in Australian out of home care. Trish McCluskey (AUS)
15 mins
Does lack of truth-telling destabilise a child’s life journey? Helen Oakwater (UK)
15 mins
Professionalising foster care - qualifications or capabilities? Linda Watson (AUS)
15 mins
Safe home for life: Innovation & change Lisa Alonso Love (AUS)
15 mins
Developing a therapeutic care outcomes pilot project for non-government out of home care service providers in NSW Robert Urquhart/Wendy Foote (AUS)
15 mins
Restoration in the context of carers with a contemporary lens Marie Connolly (AUS)
15 mins
Case work and services for foster carers: What does the research tell us? Ilan Katz (AUS)
12.00
Lunch
Venue
The Star - Balcony & Exhibition Area.
13.00
13.00
3B Understanding and responding to mental illness
Venue
3A Carers’ rights and responsibilities :Handling allegations, complaints and problems what does it mean for everyone? The Star Conference Centre - Room A
Chair
Astrid Hocking
Venue
The Star Conference Centre - Room B
Chair
Bernard Brown
15 mins
Managing Abuse Allegations in KInship Care Jill Worrall (NZ) and Rosemarie Carbino (USA)
15 mins
Understanding and responding to difficult behaviour: co-designing and co-developing relevant supports together with foster carers. Sara McLean (AUS)
15 mins
We put children first Melinda Clarke (AUS)
15 mins
Reconceptualising Care Nicola Atwool (NZ
15 mins
Walking the Talk Together Leigh Hillman (AUS)
30 mins
The critical importance of supporting the shift from child to healthy adult psychology Arne Rubinstein (AUS)
14.45
4B Transitioning to Independence.
15 mins
Supporting foster carers: Exploring the benefits of the carer and worker ‘match’ through case studies Melanie Barclay, Amy Mackenzie (AUS)
14.15
Afternoon Tea
14.45
4A It takes a family to foster…
Venue
Venue
The Star - Balcony & Exhibition Area.
The Star Conference Centre - Room A
Venue
The Star Conference Centre - Room B
Chair
Linda Smith
Chair
Lisa Charet
15 mins
‘I Care 2’ & ‘Hold my Hand’ - training and support resources for sons and daughters of carers Deb Collard and Gail Walton(AUS)
15 mins
A therapeutic approach to transitioning children between placements in out-of-home care Andrew Browning (AUS)
15 mins
Involving the fosterparents’ own children Tone Nordby & Dag Lund - Fallingen (Norway)
15 mins
CareLeavers Unite: The Power of Young People from Care Jessica Grimm (USA)
15 mins
Many kinship carers are grandparents, but who are the others? Meredith Kiraly (AUS)
15 mins
Living with strangers - learning from reflections on care experience Sarah Milan (UK)
15 mins
Keeping up appearances: The role of visual similarities in the formation of permanent and foster care families in Australia Damien Riggs (AUS)
15 mins
After Care: a new approach to young people leaving care in Queensland Brad Swan (AUS)
15 mins
Supporting Foster Carers at Critical Times Linda Watson (AUS)
15 mins
By care leavers, for care leavers: mobilising and developing adult care leavers’ expertise on leaving care in the GOAL project Carrie Wilson (UK)
15 min
What are the messages for policy and practice from surveys of kinship carers? Meredith Kiraly (AUS)
15 mins
I’m not just leaving care, I’m leaving home Angie Adams & Hugo Madrid (AUS)
15 mins
Making it happen - How changing the conversation ultimately changed the game Stephanie Dalaklakis (AUS)
19.00> Venue
IFCO Gala Dinner The Star Conference Centre
23
24 Join us for a night of Australian fun and entertainment. This is all included with your registration. Entry ticket is your 'Aussie Hat' given out at registration. Dress Code: Smart Casual
Wednesday 11th November 8.30
Protecting our children: Knowledge and know-how
Venue
The Star Conference Centre - Rooms A & B
8.30
Mad, Bad or Sad? It’s conclusive - childhood trauma caused by sexual, physical, emotional abuse or neglect ‘changes the brain’ in ways that impact a child’s ability to form strong relationships and be the ‘boss of their feelings’. This engaging topic reveals the impact of trauma on the developing brain and illuminates the pathway of how to best work with and care for infants, children, young people and adults who have experienced trauma and abuse. Gregory Nicolau (AUD)
9.00
Handling disclosures of abuse from chidren in care - Joint Investigation & Response Team NSW (JIRT -FACs, Health & Police) Insights and practice: Better handling and responding to allegations of abuse in care
9.20
Online safety: Protecting and supporting our kids online Alastair MacGibbon heads up the Office of the Children’s eSafety Commission which leads online safety education for the Australian Government and protects Australian children when they experience cyberbullying by administering a complaints scheme. The Office also deals with complaints about prohibited online content. Learn more about online safety through this presentation. Esafety Commissioner, Alistair MacGibbon (AUS)
10.00
Morning Tea
10.30
Safe journeys for children in care…
Venue
The Star Conference Centre - Rooms A & B
10.30
Policy Development in the UK - Staying Put, Going the Extra Mile and When I am Ready ‘Staying Put’, ‘Going the Extra Mile’ and ‘When I am Ready’ have been widely recognised as steps in the right direction for care leavers in the UK, however, responses also highlight the issues we face to implement new legislation and policy in times of austerity and in such a way that genuinely makes a difference to young people leaving care. We are able to reflect on the different approaches taken across the UK, in Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales considering the dilemmas faced and lessons learnt as changes take place offering the IFCO audience opportunity to reflect on their own practice.
Venue
The Star - Balcony & Exhibition Area.
Sarah Milan - Rees Foundation (UK) 11.00
Panel discussion - Safe journeys for children in care Panel - Volodymyr Kuzminskyi (IFCO), Sarah Milan (Rees Foundation), Marie Walk (FACS), Kim Hawken (Connecting Carers), Deidre Cheers (Barnardos), Jules Allen (Adopt Change), National Representative ( AFKCP), Youth representative (CREATE)
11.45
On the Couch with Deborra-lee Furness Robi Mack & Deborra-Lee Furness
12.15
Closing ceremony - till 1300
Venue
The Star Conference Centre - Rooms A & B
25