Starting early for children in need -  where we start matters

To achieve the full development potential of South Australia's children and adolescents.HDA is an independent non-partisan organisation that encourages the use of evidence-based policy along with universal, targeted and clinical interventions designed to maximise the developmental potential of infants, children, adolescents and families in South Australia.HDA is funded and supported by the Channel 7 Children's Research Foundation, University of Adelaide (Robinson Research Institute), University of South Australia, Flinders University, the Department for Education, the Women’s and Children’s Health Network, the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (Women and Kids), Department of Human Services, Department for Child Protection, and Novita.

Healthy Development Adelaide (HDA)

This forum is held in conjunction with our partner organisation the Department for Child Protection.

The Braggs, G60 Braggs  Lecture Theatre

The message this year for National Child Protection Week (3-9 September) is that ‘Every child in every community needs a fair go’ and will be complemented with the theme ‘Where we start matters’. Our expert panel of speakers will present around their work in this area on a wide range of topics from babies, children, mothers and support programs. OUR SPEAKERSDr Prue McEvoy, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist: Lead Psychiatric Director, Department for Child ProtectionChild Maltreatment: the obstacle to children getting a fair goThe evidence is in. Child Maltreatment is common and described by many as a “public health crisis”. It impacts children’s development and their physical and mental health as adults. Multiple service systems and agencies are confronted by child maltreatment. What gets in the way of addressing it? Understanding unconscious motivations may help make sense of this reluctance.Dr Prue McEvoy is a child and adolescent psychiatrist. She has worked in public and private practice and is now the Lead Psychiatric Director in the Department for Child Protection. She has had a longstanding interest in child maltreatment, the child protection system and children in out of home care.Brad Morgan, Director, Emerging MindsEarly Support, early in life: Mental health as a foundation for lifelong developmentThis presentation will highlight the importance of equitable support for mental health and well-being in the early years, the work currently in progress and the collective potential to foster lifelong mental health, well-being and development.Brad Morgan is the Director of Emerging Minds and leads the delivery of national infant, child, adolescent and family mental health strategies. His leadership is focused on bringing together research, practice and lived experience to support the design and delivery of national mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention strategies that improve the mental health of infants, children, young people and their families.Dr Alisa Willis, Head of Impact, Growth and Innovation, Junction AustraliaGrowing TogetherFunded by the Paul Ramsay Foundation, Junction’s Hackham Young Parent’s Program seeks to reduce the developmental vulnerability of children and to increase parenting capacity of children most at risk of entering the child protection system. Drawing on research by BetterStart and EIRD (DHS) the program targets young parents (under 23 years) who have themselves been in the care system or are currently at risk of investigation and or removal. Junction partners with The Australian Centre for Social Innovation to co-design a peer leadership approach with and for young parents who are having difficulties. The program is being delivered over 2 years in Junction’s Hackham Community Centre which is visited by 300 families every week. BetterStart will complete the evaluation by measuring participants contact with the child protection system after service, and compare this to a control group from the BEBOLD data set. Dr Alisa Willis is currently the Head of Impact at Junction Australia and has a focus on measuring “what works” in services that seek to improve the lives of vulnerable children, families and communities. As a social worker for over 25 years, Alisa has worked in Australia, the United Kingdom and the Philippines in child protection, family support and early intervention. Alisa is supported by the Junction Team in this work, Claire Taylor; Lead in Innovation and Growth, Tammy Elvin, Hayley McLay and Jess Naylor. Gemma Crisp, Lead Clinician – Speech Pathologist, Therapeutic Carer Support Team. Department for Child ProtectionIdentifying children in care who are at risk of disability or developmental delay - living in rural and remote South AustraliaIdentifying developmental delay and disability and finding service pathways for children in care who live in rural and remote areas can be challenging. Learn how a multidisciplinary team from DCP’s Disability and Development Program are collaborating with case workers to identify, and support, such children. Despite her monolingual upbringing in regional South Australia, Gemma developed an early love of languages and language learning, which lead to studying linguistics and speech pathology at university. She has worked as a Speech Pathologist for nearly twenty years across a range of settings including health and education. Her most rewarding role is her current one as a Lead Clinician in the in the Department for Child Protection’s Disability and Development Program. Gemma brings an interest in public health, epidemiology, and socio-linguistics to the role and is committed to improving equity for children in care living in regional and remote areas of South Australia. Dr Carmela Bastian, Senior Lecturer, College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders UniversitySafety and wellbeing of children in the context of women’s shelters The impact of domestic and family violence for children and young people is traumatic and the impact may continue into adulthood. It is important that children and young people are provided the necessary interventions within women’s shelters to ensure that their needs are met, they are safe and protected, and can participate in their healing in recovery. Dr Carmela Bastian is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work (Teaching and Research) at Flinders University and is responsible for the child protection portfolio within social work and within the university. Carmela, has over thirty years’ experience in the field of child protection as a professional social work practitioner and academic. Her employment history exemplifies a wide range of experiences including front line practitioner, policy and program manager, involvement in service development, educator, and researcher. Carmela is involved in extensive practice research focusing on theorising practice and improving outcomes for children, young people and their families. All research is conducted as a member of the Social Work Innovation Living Space (SWIRLS) and in partnership with industry partners in South Australia. More recently Carmela has worked with industry partners and practitioners focusing on improving outcomes for children and young people at the intersection of child protection and domestic violence. Other research contributes to the ongoing discourse and practice about being child centred in contexts of complexity. A/Professor Yvonne Clark, Senior Research Fellow, University of South Australia and SAHMRIUnderstanding the needs and providing support for pregnant women with Aboriginal babies in antenatal settingsAboriginal pregnant mothers face persistent social stressors effecting the health and wellbeing of families. Current and future feasibility research, at SAHMRI Women and Kids, provides culturally relevant assessments and support to pregnant Aboriginal women and their support persons that aims to empower. These studies potentially produce transformative change to give Aboriginal children the best start in life. A/Professor Yvonne Clark is a Kokatha/Wirangu woman from South Australia and a clinically endorsed psychologist with her PhD. She works jointly with UniSA and SAHMRI. She is a chief investigator (CIA) on various NMHRC research projects that include examining healing and recovery among Aboriginal children, young people, parents and in exploring the viability of supports and strength- based tools during pregnancy. Hanne Brunes, Liaison Officer and Esma, foster carer, Life Without BarriersThe Mockingbird FamilyMOCKINGBIRD FAMILY™ is an innovative approach to support foster and kinship care households through community connections. It models an extended family designed to support, develop, and retain carers and provide stability for children. The presentation will consist of an overview of this model and the initial research and evaluation findings of its implementation in South Australia.Hanne Brunes is a MOCKINGBIRD FAMILY™ Liaison Officer overseeing the MOCKINGBIRD FAMILY™ program in South Australia. In this role, Hanne is responsible for supporting the Hub Home Provider in the vital role they play in strengthening foster families. Hanne works collaboratively with the Department of Child Protection and Flinders University as partners of the MOCKINGBIRD FAMILY™ program. Hanne is originally from Norway and has a Bachelor of Social Work. Hanne has 15 years of experience in the non-for-profit sector in areas such as child protection; working with refugee, migrant, and asylum seekers youth; early intervention in the Disability sector; and case management in youth homelessness. Esma is a caring and passionate foster carer with Life Without Barriers. Esma is a strong advocate for the importance the role of foster caring plays in providing the support needed to the most vulnerable children and young people in our community. Esma has mothercraft and childcare experiences, which she brings into her role of employee at Life Without Barriers as a Hub Home Provider. In this role, Esma provides support to children and carers within the constellation that includes planned and emergency respite, organising monthly meetings and quarterly social events as well as providing emotional and practical support to carers.OUR CHAIRProfessor Leah Bromfield, Director, Australian Centre for Child Protection, University of South AustraliaProfessor Leah Bromfield is one of Australia’s foremost child protection experts, who has worked nationally and internationally with a range of partners conducting research and developing policy and practice solutions to better prevent and respond to child abuse and neglect. Her work has directly changed laws, policies, and practices in the field. She is Chair of the South Australian Child Protection Expert Group, Commissioner for the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings and sits on advisory groups for both the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children and the National Strategy for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse.Other event information:Open to the public, everyone is welcome. Networking and light refreshments will follow the session and panel discussion from 7.45pm.

Our {communityGuidelinesLink} describe the sort of content we prohibit on Eventbrite. If you suspect an event may be in violation, you can report it to us so we can investigate.

To report other categories of prohibited or illegal content, submit {link}

Starting early for children in need - where we start matters

More events from Healthy Development Adelaide (HDA)

Discover more events from Healthy Development Adelaide (HDA), from Family & Education to other experiences you might love.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all events in Adelaide and filter by date, category, and more to find the perfect fit.

Starting early for children in need - where we start matters

More events from Healthy Development Adelaide (HDA)

Discover more events from Healthy Development Adelaide (HDA), from Family & Education to other experiences you might love.

You might also like...

Browse more events with different dates, prices, and formats to find your next great experience.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all events in Adelaide and filter by date, category, and more to find the perfect fit.