Collaboration and connection within and across the workforce engaged in primary prevention of family and gender-based violence is crucial. Amidst a rise in media reporting of homicides and national discussion about approaches to prevention, it is timely to reflect on the work that continues to be done on the ground in Victoria and bring practitioners together to celebrate wins and look to the future. A new report compiled by Safe and Equal - Foundations for Action - examines the landscape of the primary prevention workforce in Victoria, offering comprehensive insights into the diverse range of organisations, practitioners and activities involved. It examines the sectors, settings, communities and locations where prevention work is being undertaken in Victoria, bringing the focus onto the skilled and committed people doing this work.

Join us for morning tea and hear from speakers and a panel as they reflect on our current context and actions we can take to strengthen and support the growing primary prevention workforce into the future. This will be a hybrid event, with limited places available for face-to-face (until booked out).

Agenda

Registration opens at 9.30 am
Event starts at 10 am
Introduction and Welcome to Country
Opening Remarks
Panel Discussion
Q&A
Formal proceedings finishing at 11.30 am
Morning tea and mingle until 12.30 pm

Meet our panelists

Jackson Fairchild (they/them) - Jackson is a consultant and one of Australia's leading voices in gendered violence prevention. They are a qualified counsellor and clinical supervisor with a background in service leadership, research translation, policy advocacy, governance and organisational change. Jackson has held senior roles at Rainbow Health Australia, No To Violence and Thorne Harbour Health, and the Zoe Belle Gender Collective. Their website is jacksonfairchild.com

Malavika Kadwadkar (she/her) - Malavika, originally from Mumbai, India, is a multifaceted professional with expertise in teaching, nutrition, counseling, and business analysis. As the Strategic Lead for Gender Equality at the City of Casey, she led the “A Safe and Equal Casey” plan, focusing on gender equality and preventing violence against women. Currently, as the Community Outreach Lead at Women’s Health in the South East, she designs programs addressing gender barriers, especially for migrant and refugee women in South East Melbourne. Her previous roles include Bilingual Educator for the WOMHEn Project and Health Promotion Officer at Women’s Health In the North. Malavika is dedicated to fostering an equitable society through community engagement and evidence-based practices.

Dr Wei Leng Kwok (she/her) - Dr Wei Leng has worked in the primary prevention of gender-based violence since 2006 in a number of research, strategy, program design and evaluation capacities. She is Principal Consultant at WLK Consulting and has held roles at Respect Victoria (Board Director) and VicHealth (Research and Practice Leader, Preventing Violence against Women). Prior to primary prevention, Wei Leng had an academic career in political science and women’s studies. Wei Leng is currently an active contributor to evaluation theory and practice through her ‘learn by doing’ approach to capacity building and in developing resources to support the work. She has led many evaluations of prevention initiatives and is a past recipient of an Australian Evaluation Society Award for Excellence in Evaluation.

Dr Stephanie Lusby (she/her) - Stephanie is Manager of Research at Respect Victoria and an adjunct research fellow with the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society at La Trobe University; she was previously Director of Primary Prevention at DVRCV (now Safe + Equal). Since 2006, Stephanie has led and contributed to social research focused on primary prevention of family violence, violence against women and other forms of gendered violence in Australia and across the Pacific region. This includes work that investigates men's engagement in prevention of violence against women and HIV prevention; experiences of LGBTIQA+ people accessing family and sexual violence supports; and the ways that gender norms inform civic engagement and governance.

This event will be live captioned and have an Auslan interpreter. The live stream will be recorded until the conclusion of the panel.