bower(schools)™ National Sharing Conference

Schools are navigating a rapidly changing landscape. Violence, school refusal, harmful sexualised behaviours, suicidality, mental health challenges, complex inclusion, and escalating student needs are becoming increasingly complex realities for educators and school leaders. 

bower(schools)™ exists to support schools to move beyond managing individual crises and develop practical, systemic approaches that strengthen decision-making, collaboration and shared responsibility. 

Built from decades of clinical, educational and systemic practice, the bower(schools)™ protocols provide schools with a framework for navigating complexity, improving communication, clarifying roles and creating coordinated responses across education, family, health and human service systems. 

The bower(schools)™ National Sharing Conference brings together school leaders from partner schools to present, share insights, experiences and learnings from the implementation of bower(schools) protocols in their school contexts. Through authentic conversations and practical examples, participants will explore what is changing in schools, what is working, and how systemic protocols can create better outcomes for students, families, and communities. 

Whether you are beginning your bower(schools)™ journey or seeking to deepen your practice, this free conference provides a unique opportunity to connect, learn and contribute to a national movement focused on strengthening schools. 

Together, we can transform complexity into clarity and build schools that are more confident, connected, and capable of responding to the challenges of today. 

Where: Bower Place – 145 South Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia (if you are unable to attend in person and would like to join online please contact: info@bowerplace.com.au for the Teams Link) 

When: Friday, 7 August 2026 

Time: 10:00am – 4:00pm 

Cost: FREE 

About the presenters:

Sareya Dudley - PhD Research Candidate

Terri Taylor & Georgia Pope - St Michael's Lutheran School

Steve Wilksch - Faith Lutheran College

Sue Matene & Ruth Cameron - Seacliff Primary School

Tina Treffers - Brompton Primary School

Holly Baulderstone - St Peter's College

Andrew Boesch - St Mark's Lutheran Primary

Lisa Goldsworthy - Living Waters Lutheran School

Kieron Hicks - Naracoorte High School

Malcolm Robinson

Malcolm is a Social Worker, Family Therapist and Mediator with fifty-three years clinical, therapeutic, dispute resolution, negotiation, clinical teaching, and management knowledge and skill working with people with high and complex needs; with fractured and fragmented families; with individuals and whole families corralled by multiple institutional service delivery systems. In child, adolescent and adult mental health, child protection, homelessness, education, addictions, industrial injury, acquired brain injury, disability, criminal justice, youth justice, and family law. He teaches Family Therapy and Systemic Practice and has held pivotal positions in family therapy, mental health, and homelessness. He was a key witness in the Royal Commission into the Institutional Abuse of Children. Malcolm has presented more than four hundred (400) conference papers, presentations, and workshops in Australia, New Zealand, UK, and USA.

Lisa Wolff

Lisa is the Director of bower(schools). She is a qualified Teacher and Counsellor with 25 years of experience in Independent and State schools in Australia and the UK; as a Classroom Teacher, Special Education Teacher, Aboriginal Education Teacher, Wellbeing Coordinator, Pastoral Care Coordinator, and Student Counsellor. Lisa is seasoned in working with children and adults with high and complex needs, complex trauma, grief, loss, neurodivergence, learning difficulties and disabilities, addictions, poverty, and interpersonal difficulties. Lisa is passionate about social justice, fairness, equality, inclusion and creating spaces where collaboration is key in successful outcomes. As director of bower(schools), Lisa works to equip school staff to transform their practices and reframe student behaviour, leading to a flourishing school culture.