Towards a Brighter Future: Innovative Approaches to Child Wellbeing and Family Violence

The joint Goulburn Child and Family Services Alliance and The Family Violence Executive Conference is for professionals to come together to address the critical issues facing families today. Family services and family violence are complex and interconnected topics that affect individuals and communities everywhere. The conference provides a platform for sharing knowledge, promoting dialogue, and building networks to enhance the understanding and response to these issues.

The conference explores a range of topics related to family services and family violence and is a space where attendees can connect with like-minded individuals, build relationships, and collaborate on initiatives that promote the safety and well-being of families. Whether you are a social worker, therapist, advocate, or policymaker, the conference offers something for everyone committed to addressing the challenges facing families today. Join us as we work together to promote positive change and support families in building safe, healthy, and thriving communities.

What does a mother want from the system for her child?

Virginia is a newbie to public speaking, a local mum in the Mitchell Shire, a small business owner, a full-time worker and a singer-songwriter in any spare moment she has!

Her beautiful love of songwriting began during the turbulent years of domestic violence as an escape from this harsh reality. At the gorgeous young age of 40, Virginia started creating songs thankful to the piano lessons she undertook in her younger years.

Joined by her sister and brilliant composer Roxane, ‘GinRox’ was born, and the two sisters began compiling many emotionally filled songs to bring about awareness of domestic violence.

Virginia is a big dreamer, a passionately loyal friend, a determined soul and wildly free. She has an amazing world opening up to her now that the fog of the violence has cleared, and she wants others to understand the mindset of a person going through domestic violence.

Rowena has been advocating for systems change since successfully becoming an accredited facilitator in the Safe & Together Model in 2021. Her career has seen her move from community education into the family violence space and most recently to coordinating Safe & Together CORE professional training for practitioner proficiency in domestic violence informed practice at FamilyCare. She is also the Goulburn Region Parenting Services Coordinator, and a Specialist Family Violence Practitioner facilitating Men’s Behaviour Change programs.

Over 140 Goulburn Region practitioners in Child and Family Services, Courts, ACCOs and The Orange Door to name a few have completed the 4 day CORE training in the Safe & Together model and are applying the framework successfully in their daily work.

The foundational knowledge and tools can be applied to work in a variety of settings and will help communities to have a common language and perspective in addressing issues related to domestic violence allowing for better communication and collaboration. This will help to create consistency across systems and increase positive outcomes for families.

The panel brings together a diverse group of local service practitioners, each armed with a wealth of knowledge and experience in their field.

We aim to explore innovative approaches that have proven effective in supporting and strengthening families, while also acknowledging and dissecting the challenges that persist in addressing family violence. Our collective endeavor is to foster a deeper understanding of these complex issues, with the hope of initiating positive change and promoting safer, healthier, and more harmonious family environments.

Cat Holt (she/fae) is a social worker with extensive experience within the Child & Family Service sector, having supported numerous families and mentoring staff during her time at FamilyCare. Cat has now embarked on a journey of transferring these insights and knowledge in the youth mental health domain, at headspace Shepparton.

Robyn Hucker (she/her)is accredited mental health social worker with over 20 years experience in the Goulburn Valley. Robyn has worked in a wide variety of settings including youth, rehabilitation, employment, disability and education. For over 12 years Robyn has worked in advanced clinical mental health settings working from birth to aged. Robyn is currently the manager at headspace Shepparton.

As an LGBTIQA+ inclusion expert and co-author of the current Rainbow Tick guides, Matthew Parsons (they/them) has helped hundreds of organisations provide a safer and more inclusive environment for LGBTIQA+ staff and clients. Whilst currently offering these services to any organisation as MAROPA Consultancy, part-time they support VincentCare’s Rainbow Tick work as the Manager LGBTQIA+ Inclusion. As the Producer/Director of My Other Closet The Cabaret, for over a decade they have blazed a trail in Family Violence advocacy using theatre to empower LGBTQ victim-survivor lived-experience to effect change. For 6 years they led a Victorian Government funded program supporting targeted Rainbow Tick accreditation and safe pathways across the Victorian Family Violence Sector. With this developed expertise in LGBTQ intimate partner and family of origin violence, they have also been co-author on several key parts of the evidence base and practice guidance for building the capacity of the response and prevention sectors to contribute to a future where people of all bodies, genders and sexualities can live free from violence.

Find out more about their work at: www.maropa.com.au

Key LGBTQ Family Violence publications: 'Preferences for Types of Inclusive Family Violence Services Among LGBTQ People in Australia' (2023) 'Opening Doors; Ensuring LGBTIQ-inclusive family, domestic and sexual violence services' (2022), 'Pride in Prevention: A guide to primary prevention of family violence experienced by LGBTIQ communities' (2020)

Sinothando Bennett was born in Zimbabwe. Qualification - BSc (Hons) Social Work and Applied Social Studies from the University of Bath, United Kingdom (2016). Sino practiced in the UK as a Social Worker for three years and relocated to Australia in September 2019 where she is employed by DFFH as Practice Leader, Child Protection Navigator

In 2014 Hannah O’Brien completed a Bachelor of Psychology and Forensic Science, and then spent time working in residential care across various homes in Melbourne. It quickly became evident the disproportionate amount of young people in out of home care who were becoming entangled in the justice space, and she knew she wanted to find work in this field. In 2016 Hannah relocated back to the Goulburn area and worked for 6 years in the Youth Justice Community Support Services program, and this is where she found her love for, and truly recognised the value in assertive outreach within a case management model. She began work in the Putting Families First Pilot program in May 2022 as a Lead Family Practitioner, then stepped into the Team Leader role in July 2023. Hannah has always been intrigued by the intersect of human behaviour and law, and how the human experience can be individual and yet shared among so many. Her passion for learning more about this industry has led her to recently complete a Masters in Forensic Behavioural Science. Hannah’s favourite part of being in the welfare/justice space is having the privilege of hearing stories directly from those we support and having the opportunity to cultivate trust utilising a relational approach. When she is not at work, Hannah enjoys horse riding, spending time with her beloved dogs, and shooting targets at her local rifle range.

Morgan Cataldo and two Y-Change Lived Experience Consultants from Y-Change, a social and systemic change platform for young people aged 18 to 30 with lived experiences of socioeconomic disadvantage. As Lived Experience Consultants, the team work to challenge the thinking and practices of social systems through advocacy and leadership.

Kirra Horley (she/her) Youth Engagement Coordinator, Berry Street is a Youth Engagement Coordinator with Berry Street’s Y-Change initiative and has a Diploma of Community Services through Swinburne University.

A strong facilitator and speaker, Kirra’s key areas of expertise are in mental ill-health, homelessness, family violence and sexual abuse. She advocates for systemic change to ensure that services are partnering with children and young people. Kirra also has an interest in addressing the absence of children and young people in family violence narratives.

In 2023, Kirra was a recipient of the ‘Child and Youth Empowerment Award – Commission for Children and Young People’ through the Victorian Protecting Children Awards for her work on the ‘In our own right – we are leading change’ family violence project.

With expertise drawn from lived experience and professional roles, Kirra intends to one day be the CEO of a community organisation.

Tash Anderson (she/they) Y-Change Lived Experience Consultant, Berry Street

Tash is a passionate advocate for children and young people who have experienced family violence and who have been through the out-of-home care system. They are committed to telling their story about growing up in out-of-home care and working to understand the impacts of family violence so that the voices of children and young people are reflected in family violence reform.

Tash was the Inaugural Youth and Young Person representative on the Victim Survivors’ Advisory Council (VSAC) in Victoria for three and half years. They are currently the co-chair of Victoria’s first Child Protection Ministerial Youth Advisory Group (MYAG) and a member of the Roadmap Implementation Ministerial Advisory Group (RIMAG).

Tash is also a Lived Experience Consultant with Berry Street’s Y-Change initiative, a member of Safe and Equal’s Expert Advisory Panel, and is completing a Bachelor of Animation at Deakin University.

In 2017, Tash was a recipient of the ‘Modelling a Generous Community Award’ through the Victorian Protecting Children Awards, in recognition of their significant contribution to various advisory groups and reform bodies.

Tash’s most well know piece of advocacy is ‘TASH’ – a short film that they wrote, illustrated, directed, and narrated sharing their personal experience of family violence, living in out-of-home care and how it affected them. The film has been shown at film festivals in Sydney and San Francisco and nominated for awards at CinefestOZ and Sydney Film Festival.

We are thrilled to introduce you to Kerry, a dedicated and experienced counselor who will be attending the Conference as a support person. Kerry is a social worker and has practised in rural settings all her life, where she has kept up voluntary and professional connections to her community.

Kerry has a long history of providing counselling and advocacy services in many settings, but substantially in family violence and sexual assault services for 18 years. She has a strong gendered and trauma model of care which she utilises along with kindness, and compassion. Clients have described her work as ‘life saving’ at times, strongly confidential and inclusive.

If you find yourself in need of assistance or simply want to connect with someone who has a wealth of experience in family violence and trauma, Kerry will be readily available throughout the conference. She is here to provide a listening ear, guidance, and support to anyone who may require her services.

Please don't hesitate to reach out to Kerry during the conference.

470 Mitchellstown Rd, Nagambie VIC 3608