Early parenthood and out-of-home care: Insights to strengthen practice and policy

Early parenthood and out-of-home care: Insights to strengthen practice and policy

Tuesday 21 October 2025, 12:00pm-1:15pm AEDT, online via MS Teams

Hosted by Family and Community Services Insights, Analysis and Research (FACSIAR)

Details

Young people who become parents while transitioning from out-of-home care can benefit from strong social support networks, placement stability, and access to comprehensive services tailored to their individual needs.

In this FACSIAR Lunch and Learn webinar, Dr Amy Gill from the University of Sydney will present findings from her PhD research, which explored the placement, service, and social support needs of care-experienced young parents in New South Wales. Her presentation will describe pathways from out-of-home care into parenthood using population-level data and provide insights from stakeholders to highlight the importance of creating policies which:

• are designed to better meet the needs of care-experienced young parents and their children,

• actively involve young parents in decision-making; and

• provide comprehensive planning for a supported transition from out-of-home care.

Following Dr Gill’s presentation, a panel of experts – including DCJ policy staff, NSW Health and representatives from UC Change - will share their perspectives on the research as well as their personal experiences and discuss practical ways to better support young parents in care.

The webinar will be chaired by Dr Jessica Stewart, Executive Director, FACSIAR, Department of Communities and Justice.

Join us to learn more about:

Early parenthood and out-of-home care (OOHC): Insights to strengthen practice and policy

Presentation from:

• Dr Amy Gill - Sydney School of Education and Social Work, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of Sydney

Panel discussion:

• Melissa Pearce - Manager, Leaving and Aftercare Programs, OOHC Programs, Child and Family, DCJ

• Annaliese Thompson - A/Manager Casework, OOHC, Hawkesbury Community Service Centre

• Melissa Galea - Manager Client Services, OOHC, Aftercare, Quality Assurance & Continuous Improvement Team, Nepean Blue Mountains

• Sarah Radburn - OOHC Health Pathway Program Coordinator, Western Sydney Local Health District, Mt Druitt Community Health Centre, Integrated & Community Health

• Youth Consult for Change representatives

Questions or comments?

Contact: ResearchPartnerships@dcj.nsw.gov.au