In this webinar you will hear about a new practice framework that can enhance your practice working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people who experience domestic and family violence and have had contact with the child protection system.

Using culturally safe, participatory action research methods, the Service system responses and culturally designed practice frameworks to address the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children exposed to domestic and family violence project engaged First Nations community members in eight regional and remote locations across Queensland to generate new knowledge about what works for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who have both experienced domestic and family violence and had contact with the child protection system.

In this webinar, a panel of researchers and practitioners will discuss the findings from the You can’t pour from an empty cup ANROWS research report on service and systems responses for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people who experience domestic and family violence and their implications for practice. Practitioners will provide insight into the role they played as community researchers in the places they live and work.

The depth of cultural knowledge and community led solutions highlighted in the research enabled the researchers to develop a practice framework – Healing our children and young people: A framework to address the impacts of domestic and family violence. This framework places children at the centre and can be used to guide policymakers’ and practitioners’ work with and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people.

Learning Outcomes:

Increased understanding of how to enhance practice working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people who have experienced domestic and family violence and had contact with the child protection system.

Event Details

Event Date: Thursday, 28 September 2023
Time: 12:00pm - 1:30pm AEST (Queensland time)
Location: Online

Who should attend

This event is targeted at all levels of the workforce.

About the facilitators

Candice Butler, Director of the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Protection Centre of Excellence and lead researcher

Candice Butler is a proud Aboriginal woman with strong family connections to Yarrabah in Far North Queensland. She is passionate about ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have true self-determination and authority over decisions that are made about their lives particularly in the area of Child Protection.

As the inaugural Director of the Centre of Excellence at the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Protection Peak Ltd (QATSICPP), Candice has provided significant leadership in the design, delivery, management, and evaluation of projects to improve child and family wellbeing across Queensland. This has included co-author of research and leading of the evaluation and action research agenda.

At the heart of Candice’s work is ensuring that the voice and choice of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is heard and respected in child protection reform

Professor Daryl Higgins

Professor Daryl Higgins is the Director of the Institute of Child Protection Studies at Australian Catholic University. For 30 years, he has been researching child abuse impacts and prevention, public health approaches to protecting children, child-safe organisational strategies, family and interpersonal violence, past adoption and forced family separation practices, family law, parenting, and child development. His research has made a significant impact on policy related to child maltreatment, both in Australia and internationally – including research conducted for the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. He is a Chief Investigator on the Australian Child Maltreatment Study, funded by a National Health and Medical Research Council grant, with the first round of papers documenting the national prevalence of child abuse and neglect and its health outcomes published in a special issue of the Medical Journal of Australia.

Carol Miller, Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Service and community researcher

I am a Kalkadoon woman born and raised in Mt Isa, the youngest of 12 children. I relocated to Townsville many years ago but still have a fear of the ocean. I have worked for TAIHS (Townsville Aboriginal and Islander health service), Family Wellbeing Program since 2017. First as a case manager and my current position as the DFV Specialist. I have been in this position for the past 4yrs. I feel very privileged to have played a part in the research project for " You Can't Pour from An empty Cup. "And I'm very excited for the next stage.