This year's South Australian Australian of the Year and another world leader in child protection and family support reform will be among keynote speakers at a major Symposium to discuss how we can reimagine child protection and family support for South Australian families.
Over 400 people are expected to gather at Adelaide Oval today for the second South Australian Child Protection and Family Support Symposium.
Attendees will hear from Professor Leah Bromfield, recognised this month as South Australia's Australian of the Year for her extraordinary career dedicated to finding evidence-based solutions to child abuse and neglect and to transformational change for children and families.
Also speaking is renowned child protection expert Fiona Duncan from Scotland who has pioneered The Promise - a program that radically re-thought how governments care for children, incorporating their views along with those of family members, carers and communities.
The Promise Scotland was responsible for driving change following the Independent Care Review, which heard more than 5500 experiences of people associated with Scotland's child protection and family support system.
Also headlining the Symposium is Ashum Owen, the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of Wakwakurna Kanyini.
Recently funded by the State Government, Wakwakurna Kanyini is the leading community voice for Aboriginal children in South Australia and was formed to ensure a clear focus on improving outcomes for Aboriginal children and young people and their families.
The Symposium brings together hundreds of young people, families and carers, academics, Aboriginal organisations and staff from government and non-government agencies to continue to create and drive change.
The speakers will showcase innovative programs and research from interstate and overseas that are making a big difference in the lives of children, young people, and their families and encourage further thinking and action in our work toward whole of government, whole of sector and whole of community effort to advance change.
The Symposium will build on the momentum of last year's inaugural event to strengthen and encourage a whole-of-community approach to building a 20-year vision for child protection and family support in South Australia.
Following last year's Symposium, several initiatives have progressed. These include strengthening partnership and peer support, the new online Carers Voice engagement platform and the expansion of Youth Advisory Groups across the state.
As put by Katrine Hildyard
To improve children's and young people's lives, we need to bring together community, government and the sector to drive meaningful change to our child protection and family support system.
This Symposium is about doing just that. It provides a crucial opportunity to listen to, and act on, the voices, the insights, the strength of people who have the knowledge and experience to help us build the system of our future - the system which helps children and young people to heal, be loved and safe, nurtured and enabled to thrive.
To have this calibre of local and international experts in the same room working on the goal of improving outcomes for South Australian children and young people is something for which I am incredibly proud and grateful.
Many children, young people and their families are grappling with complex and intergenerational issues, issues which demand new and collective thinking and action. The second of three symposia, this Symposium brings us together to tackle the most difficult of issues and to embrace an unprecedented opportunity to shape a brighter future for our next generation through collaborative expertise and a determined and relentless focus.
As put by Professor Leah Bromfield, South Australian Child Protection Expert Group, Director Australian Centre for Child Protection and 2025 SA Australian of the Year
I'm really looking forward to hearing from those involved with child protection interstate, overseas and right here in SA about programs that are achieving great results – and considering how we might replicate their successes here.
This important Symposium will enable us to draw upon participants' broad range of knowledge, to inform a 20-year vision for a stronger child protection system in this state.
It will also provide an opportunity for organisations and academics to learn from those with direct experience of the system and for young people, carers and families to contribute to system reform.
As put by Fiona Duncan, Independent Strategic Advisor for The Promise Scotland
I'm looking forward to hearing from this huge and diverse group of people in SA, to fulfil their collective ambition to transform care, and sharing what we've done in Scotland.
The Promise is about listening to children and families and putting them at the centre of decision-making and having everybody coalesced around a single purpose.
The Independent Care Review has created a shared vision for what good care looks like. That means we're all pointed in the same direction, and we all want the same thing for children, families and care experienced adults, whether you're a social worker, a teacher, or you work in health or justice.
In Scotland, there's been legislative change and a commitment to a Promise Bill next year. We're just over four years into a 10-year change program.
As put by Jackie Bray, Chief Executive, Department for Child Protection
We're working together as a united child protection and family support sector to innovate and challenge ourselves to achieve better outcomes for children, young people and families.
This includes a strong emphasis on improving outcomes for Aboriginal children and young people, in line with our commitments under the national agreement on Closing the Gap.
