Our Workforce Symposium - Brisbane 2026

Our Workforce Symposium brings together leaders, practitioners and specialists to spark innovative workforce solutions and strengthen a workforce that is a powerful driver of change in ending violence and harm against women, children and communities.

WorkUP and the sector have been working together to develop a Strategic Workforce Plan to guide our collective efforts. Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far. The challenges you’ve identified are true ‘wicked problems’ — complex, interconnected and demanding deeper exploration and collective action.

At the symposium, we will explore several key workforce challenges identified, including:

• Workforce recruitment and retention

• Building a safe, sustainable and well workforce

• Leadership and governance in a time of rapid growth

• Quality practice, safety and accountability

• Working as part of an integrated system

• Diversity, equity and inclusion

We need systems and workforces that prevent harm, respond effectively, and support people experiencing or using gender-based violence.  Systems that are accessible, connected, diverse, well-resourced and capable.

Join us at Our Workforce Symposium to help bring this shared vision to life.

Contact workforce@healingfoundation.org.au for an application form if you would like to apply for a travel subsidy to attend this event.

Guest Presenters

Vikki Reynolds

Vikki Reynolds (PhD RCC) is an activist/ therapist and community organiser who works to bridge the worlds of social justice activism with community work and therapy. Vikki is internationally recognised work will bring a powerful and thought-provoking lens to our conversations. Joining us online form Canada, Vikki will be speaking on building a safe, sustainable and well workforce. Vikki is a white settler on the territories of the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam nations. Vikki's people are Irish and English folks, and she is a heterosexual woman with cisgender privilege. Her experience includes supervision and therapy with People with Lived/Living Experience and other workers responding to the drug poisoning catastrophe, refugees and survivors of torture - including Indigenous people who have survived residential schools and other state violence, sexualized violence counsellors, mental health and substance misuse counsellors, housing and shelter workers, activists and working alongside gender and sexually diverse communities. Vikki has taught as an Adjunct Professor and has written and presented internationally. Articles & speaks free at: www.vikkireynolds.ca 

Natasha Cortis

Associate Professor Natasha Cortis works at the Social Policy Research Centre at the University of New South Wales. She is an expert on workforce characteristics and challenges in feminised occupations and industries including in social and community services.  Her recent work has surveyed community sector organisations and workers, including in the domestic and family violence sector. Findings have provided a basis for campaigns to strengthen the workforce and address undervaluation, including by ensuring the SCHADS Award recognises and rewards women's skill. Speaking on recruitment and retention, Natasha will share findings from her national research and invite discussion about what these workforce challenges mean in practice, and what can be done to strengthen and sustain the workforce.

Faiza El-Higzi

Dr Faiza El-Higzi OAM is an academic, social change advocate and has extensive experience in public policy. Her work informs policy implementation and centres the need for services to meet the complex needs of multicultural communities in a DFSV context. Faiza is member of Domestic and Family Violence Implementation Council (2016-2026), Metro South Health Consumers Council, Chair of the Brisbane South Primary Health Network Community Council and Deputy Chair of the University of Queensland’s Cultural Inclusion Council. At Our Workforce Symposium, she will be unpacking quality practice, safety and accountability in our workforce through a diversity, equity and inclusion lens.

Jane Britt

Jane Britt GAICD is a Senior Consultant with The Social Deck, with extensive experience in disability policy, governance and lived-experience leadership. She has previously held senior roles including Senior Policy Officer at People with Disability Australia (PWDA), and Policy and Advocacy Team Leader and National Policy Officer at Blind Citizens Australia (BCA). Jane is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors’ Company Directors Course, completing the program as an award recipient through the Disability Leadership Program. Jane currently serves as a Non-Executive Director of Holy Cross Services Ltd and Social Futures, contributing to risk, safety and quality subcommittees. She is a former Non-Executive Director of Queenslanders with Disability Network (QDN), where she chaired the Nominations and Performance Committee. Her cross-sector work has included consultancy with Women with Disabilities Australia (WWDA), the Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA), the National Disability Research Partnership (NDRP) and the Disability Leadership Institute (DLI). Her contributions have been recognised with a 2023 Young Alumni Award from Duchesne College (University of Queensland), a 2020 Vision Australia Award, and an Australia Day Award (Griffith) for her community leadership as co-founder and President of Achilles Brisbane. Jane holds Honours in Psychology from the Australian National University. Jane brings together professional expertise in governance and policy with her lived experience of deafblindness to translate individual advocacy into systemic reform, strengthening decision-making and removing structural barriers across education, employment and community life. At Our Workforce Symposium, she will be unpacking quality practice, safety and accountability in our workforce through a diversity, equity and inclusion lens.

Tegan Jeffreys she/her

Tegan Jeffreys is the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Programs Manager at Diverse Voices, a community led LGBTIQA+ non-profit organisation in Magandjin (Brisbane). Together with her colleagues, Tegan is delivering Queensland’s first funded community led specialist domestic, family and sexual violence service, providing counselling and case management support to LGBTIQA+ victim-survivors, and behaviour change intervention via a group program for LGBTIQA+ people using violence. Tegan has extensive experience, spanning two decades in the not-for profit community services sector, including in homelessness and supporting unhoused people, community mental health and peer support, child and family support, and specialist domestic and family violence support both as a frontline practitioner and leader. Tegan is passionate about practice and service delivery which is collaborative across services and sectors, innovative, flexible, affirming, inclusive and centers lived experience, as well as developing and sustaining teams and workforces which reflect the same. At Our Workforce Symposium, she will be unpacking quality practice, safety and accountability in our workforce through a diversity, equity and inclusion lens.

Jan Ungerer - Symposium MC

Janʼs multi-faceted career has traversed much of the human, business and community sectors in varied roles such as lecturer, learning designer, group facilitator, presenter, pattern catcher leadership and well-being coach and restorative yoga teacher. She specialises in crafting welcoming safe spaces that guide others in building their critical and creative capabilities making for a tangible and positive impact. Jan will be the Master of Ceremonies (MC) at Our Workforce Symposium.

Who should attend

Everyone in the domestic and family violence, sexual violence, and women’s health and wellbeing sector is welcome and encouraged to join us to contribute to the development of impactful workforce strategies for the sector. 

Every voice matters. Every story contributes. Every conversation moves us forward. 

 “Leadership is about action, not position.” – Brené Brown 

Event Details

Date: Wednesday, 18th March 2026
Time: 9:00am - 4:00 pm AEST
Location: Kedron-Wavell Club, 21 Kittyhawk Drive, Chermside, QLD, 4032

Travel support is available* – click here to apply. If you are unable to download the application form please email workforce@healingfoundation.org.au to receive a copy. *Target Group Services Only

Facilitation

The WorkUP Queensland team will be facilitating this workshop.