National Foster Care Conference 2004

Friday 29 October – Sunday 31 October 2004

Rydges LakesideCanberra, Australian Capital Territory,

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REWalking Together: People, Policy and Practice

FOSTER CARE ASSOCIATIONOF THE A.C.T. Inc.

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WORKSHOP CHOICES

PROGRAM

WELCOME

The theme for the 2004 conference will be Walking Together: People, Policy and Practice. The conference is designed to inform and inspire key

stakeholders within the foster care sector to envisage and embrace possibilities, create new and improved partnerships with other stakeholders

(particularly workers and carers), be innovative in finding solutions, celebrate successes and take pride in the roles they play.

W E L C O M E

THANK YOU TO OUR CONFERENCE SPONSORS

As patron of the 2004 Foster Care National Conference, I invite you to register for Walking Together: People, Policy and Practice, the annual national conference for foster carers, indigenous carers, family and kin carers, government and agency workers, and all key stakeholders working with or in the foster care sector.

The Australian Foster Care Association (AFCA) in co-operation with the Foster Care Association of the ACT have organised a high quality program of speakers, presentations, workshops, displays and activities. I am delighted to see continued recognition of the experience and skills of both carers and workers with several practitioner-run sessions focusing on real experiences, difficulties encountered on a daily basis and practical solutions and resources.

I encourage you to register early to avoid disappointment as the very successful 2003 conference in Brisbane attracted around 400 delegates. I look forward to seeing you at the conference and know you will find it professionally rewarding and of great practical assistance.

Katy Gallagher MLAACT Minister for Education, Youth and Family Services

May 2004

Theme: Wanted: A New Vision for Foster CareKeynote Speaker: Jan Carter

Jan has worked in Melbourne, Perth and London in the areas of social work, social research and social policy. In all locations Jan's work has circled around the concerns of disadvantaged and marginalised children. She has been Director of Social Policy and Research at the Brotherhood of St. Lawrence, Professor of Social Work at the University of Melbourne, Professorial Fellow at Deakin University and an adjunct Professor at the University of Queensland. She has undertaken reviews of family and child services for several state governments as well as research for well-known community foundations. Jan regards the needs and aspirations of children and young people as the absolute priority in the sector and the support and development of carers as a close second.

Theme: Growing Up In Permanent CareSpeaker: Dr Cas O’Neill

Cas O’Neill is a special needs adoptive parent and respite foster carer. She is currently undertaking the second three year phase of a longitudinal research project with permanent care families and is involved in setting up a Post Placement Support Service in Victoria. She has a PhD in Social Work, is a Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne; a Senior Project Manager at the Royal Children’s Hospital and works on consumer-oriented research projects in the areas of child welfare and health. She will include information from new research findings in her address.

Speaker: Chris Burke

Many 2003 delegates will remember Chris and Billy from the Brisbane Conference and other sector conferences where she has had us rolling on the floors with laughter while acknowledging the difficult issues involved in the out of home care sector. Chris has worked with children and families for 30 years in a range of educational, welfare and therapeutic settings. Her work includes teaching, women’s refuges, counselling and group work with abused children, and community education and training. Chris produced two unique video resources featuring the award winning Jannawi Kids puppets. Both video resources received a National Violence Prevention Award in 2001. Chris is a Director of Gracie Productions.

CONFERENCE THEME AND PURPOSE

JSG CONSULTING

growing training

and business

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

SPEAKERS

WORKSHOP CHOICES

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PROGRAM

W E L C O M E

THANK YOU TO OUR CONFERENCE SPONSORS

Friday 29 October 2004Registration/tea and coffee available from 3.00pm

5.30pm – 6.30pm Welcome reception (finger foods and drinks) 6.30pm – 8.30pm Welcome and Conference Overview National and State Review 2003-04 and Planning/priority issues for 2004-05

8.40pm Optional bus tour – Canberra by Night (approx 1.5 hour duration)

Saturday 30 October 2004Registration/tea and coffee available from 8.00amInformation and Resource Exhibition will be open from morning tea-time

9.00am – 9.30am Traditional welcome and official opening9.30am – 10.30am Keynote Speaker: Jan Carter – Wanted: A New Vision for Foster Care10.30am – 11.00am Morning tea 11.00am – 12.30pm Workshops A 12.30pm – 1.30pm Lunch 1.30pm – 1.45pm Partnership/resources snapshots1.45pm – 2.45pm Speaker: Dr Cas O’Neill – Growing up in Permanent Care 2.45pm – 3.00pm Partnership/resources snapshots 3.00pm – 3.30pm Afternoon tea 3.30pm – 5.00pm Workshops B

7.30pm – 12.00pm Conference Dinner with the presentation of the inaugural National Foster Care Recognition Awards and the launch of Pat Walker’s new book. A dance band will play.

Sunday 31 October 2004Tea and coffee available from 8.30am. Information and Resource Exhibition open

9.00am – 9.30am Speaker: Chris Burke and Billy9.30am – 9.45am Partnership/resources snapshots 9.45am – 10.45am Workshops C 10.45am – 11.00am Preview 2005 national conference11.00am – 11.30am Morning tea11.30am – 12.30pm Panel of success 12.30pm – 1.00pm Direction/position statements for 20051.00pm – 1.15pm Evaluation and close1.15pm – 2.15pm Lunch

Child/Young Person's ProgramA full day child and young person’s program with interesting activities will be available for children and young people above 10 years of age on Saturday and Sunday. We are unable to take high needs children who require specialist care as facilities and specialist carers are unavailable. Details and costs will be determined by the level of interest. Please complete the relevant section on the registration form to indicate your interest.

Pat Walker will launch her new book at the conference dinner

Foster Carers Agency Workers and Managers Social Work StudentsKin and Family Carers Government Workers and Managers Academics / LecturersIndigenous Carers Key Stakeholders in the Sector Researchers

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

SPEAKERS

To obtain a more detailed description of each session please download details from

www.fostercare.org/conference

Saturday 30 October 2004Choose one option from Workshop A (90 minutes)

A1. Raising Difficult Children: Working with children exhibiting social, educational and behavioural problems – Brenda Inglis-Powell, author and Group Program Co-ordinator, Pastoral Counselling Institute, NSW. Also available in Workshop B Choices.

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ICESA2. Training, assessment and review of Foster Carers – UK best practice and current Australian research and practice

– Anne Butcher, Queensland Department of Families and James Cook University (research/theory); Marilyn McHugh, University of NSW (NSW current); and Kaye Bearlin, St Luke’s Anglicare Vic (Vic practice in rural community)

A3. Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: How it affects child development and behaviour – Sue Miers, Foster Parent, founding member and spokesperson for the National Organisation for Foetal Alcohol Syndrome and Related Disorders (NOFASARD)

A4. The Supporting Grandparents Project – This project is a partnership between the Canberra Mothercraft Society, Marymead Child and Family Centre and Relationships Australia, Canberra Region – Presenters TBA AND

Keeping it in the family – Kinship care – Juliette Borenstein and Maureen Campion, Senior Kinship Workers, Kinship and Support Program, Abercare Family Services, Melbourne

A5. Forming attachments in Foster Care – Sarah Wise, Principal Research Fellow of the Children and Parenting Program, Australian Institute of Family Studies

A6. You have to be crackers: Worker and carer experiences in the foster care system – Ros Thorpe, Professor of Social Work and Community Welfare, James Cook University, Qld and Sue Ash, Manager Child Protection, ACT Department of Education, Youth and Family Services

A7. Overcoming the effects of domestic violence on children – Chris Burke, Director of Gracie Productions and Founding Director of the Jannawi Family Centre

A8. Achieving stability in foster care – Permanency and stability as treatment plans for children in out-of-home care – Deidre Cheers and Tina Smith, Senior Managers, Barnardos Australia, NSW and NSW/ACT programs

A9. Engaging at risk young people in education: Principles and practice – Craig Webber, Director, Galilee and Margaret Robertson, Coordinator, Curriculum and Resource Development, Galilee Education Services ACT AND

Carer Legal Rights and Responsibilities – speaker to be advised

Choose one option from Workshop B (90 minutes)B1. Developing a framework for understanding and responding to challenging behaviours: The impact of abuse-related

trauma on children – Lisa Ranahan, social worker and senior practice consultant, Australian Childhood Foundation and Dr Neerosh Mudaly, child and family therapist and senior clinician, Australian Childhood Foundation

B2. Approaches and perspectives on Carer recruitment, assessment and training – Paula Hayden, Association of Child Welfare Agencies (ACWA) and Centre for Community Welfare Training (CCWT) will join Coleen Clare, Chief Executive Officer, Children’s Welfare Association of Victoria

B3. (Repeat of Workshop A1) Raising Difficult Children: Working with children exhibiting social, educational and behavioural problems – Brenda Inglis-Powell, author and Group Program Co-ordinator, Pastoral Counselling Institute, NSW

B4. Building closer working relationships between carers and caseworkers – who gains? Sue von Leonhardi, Community Skills Training Centre, Department for Community Development, WA and Fay Alford, Foster Care Association Western Australia. A panel will be part of this presentation

B5. Decisions and choices in permanent care: Children’s views of their families and family processes – Lynne Moggach and Elizabeth Cox, Barnardos Australia (Sydney and Central Coast) AND

The contradictory experience of being a natural child in a foster family – Elaine Nuske, lecturer in Counselling, Southern Cross UniversityB6. Kinship and beyond: Out of home care and Indigenous communities – Meaghan Harris, Team Leader, Family Services,

Mallee Family Care and a member of the local Indigenous community AND The Yarning Journey: A manual of practice for the assessment of Indigenous carers – Sharron Williams, Director,

Aboriginal Family Support Service (AFSS), SAB7. Making LAC work for kids – Jude Morwitzer, The LAC Project, Barnardos Australia and two foster carers will co-present this

sessionB8. New policy directions – Where to from here? – AFCA – A briefing of the latest policy initiatives across the country and an

opportunity for carers and workers to suggest and contribute to future initiativesB9. Concepts that enhance practice – Patrice Jackson, Manager, Berry Street, Hume Integrated Home Based Care Program and

Dennyse McQueen, foster carer and Berry Street worker (45 minutes) AND Best practice models of support – Janet Elefsiniotis, Share Care (Vic), Chris Peterson, University of Melbourne and Cas

O’Neill, an adoptive parent, respite foster carer and researcher (45 minutes)

Sunday 31 October 2004Choose one option from Workshop C (60 minutes)C1 Aiding the management of children/young people with altered perception problems (Attention Deficit Disorder, Foetal

Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Oppositional Defiance Disorder, Abuse and Neglect) – Noeleen Baldry, Qld, twice recipient of the State Minister’s Award for Excellence in Fostercare

C2. The New Zealand Foster Care Training and Qualifications Alliance – A future training model from our neighbours? – Richard Matthews, New Zealand Department of Child, Youth and Family Services, Manager of the National Caregiver Training Programme and a representative of the New Zealand Family & Foster Care Federation

C3. Commonwealth Government support and financial payments for foster carers – CentrelinkC4. Foster children and healing the trauma of abandonment – Liz Mullinar, author and founder of Mayamarri Kids Kamp and

Alison Ewens, Coordinator of Mayamarri Kids KampC5. The Commonwealth Review of Aboriginal Islander Child Care (AICCA) Program and identified new directions for family

and community services – Melinda Tynan, Acting Director, Family and Children’s Services Branch, Department of Family and Community Services

C6. Visual Spacial Learners – Underachievement in children – Helen Dudeny, President, NSW Association for Gifted and Talented Children

C7. Shared Stories: Shared Lives – An award winning training package for carers – Paula Hayden, ACWA/CCWT will be joined by a foster carer to present this session

C8. Working successfully with children, young people and their families in out-of-home care – Justine Gordon, Early Intervention and Family Support Coordinator, The Burdekin Association (NSW)

C9. Foster Care Advocacy and Support Team (FAST) – Anne-Louise Nilsson, Executive Officer, Foster Care Queensland (FCQ) and Sharyn Casey, FAST Co-ordinator, Foster Care Queensland (FCQ)