SPEAQ Forum 2023

Please note! Registrations are now closed!  If you'd like to register your interest in next year's event, let us know so we can keep you in the loop.

About the Forum

The SPEAQ Forum is SPEAQ's key professional development event, bringing Queensland's Domestic and Family Violence Perpetrator Intervention sector together to connect, inform, educate, and strengthen the passion that drives this work. The SPEAQ Forum is different to many conferences, developed from the ground up by and for practitioners with a strong focus on practice and on conversations between participants, not just great presentations by guest speakers, and with fees kept low enough to enable practitioner attendance. The Forum has been held annually since 2009, and we now welcome participants from around Australia, bringing unique perspectives from their part of the world to enrich our conversations and mutual learning.

Click here to download the SPEAQ Forum 2023 Flyer.

About SPEAQ

SPEAQ is Queensland’s network of practitioners and services providing interventions with those who perpetrate Domestic and Family Violence. We’ve been around for 30 years, supporting the work with men and with partners or family members affected by their abuse. Our network connects and supports practitioners, co-ordinators and managers across Queensland. SPEAQ is the collective voice representing practitioners and services in this field in Queensland and is actively involved in sector development and consultation with government.

Read more about us at www.speaq.org.au/about

Event Details 

Who it's for: People working in or interested in intervention work with men  who have used violence or abuse in their relationships, and the associated partner/family advocacy work. For practitioners and managers in men's DFV Intervention Programs (Men's Behaviour Change Programs) and in related and connected services.

What: SPEAQ Forum 2023.  SPEAQ Now: Deepening our conversations for change

Where: Events on Oxlade, 50 Oxlade Drive, New Farm, Qld  4005

When:
Pre-conference workshops: Monday 30th October 9am to 12pm  and  1pm to 4:30pm
Day 1: Tuesday 31st October – 8:45 am TO 5:00 pm   and 
Day 2: Wednesday 1st November - 8:00 am to 4:15 pm

Click here to view the Programme Outline

What does it cover?

This year's theme is SPEAQ Now: Deepening our conversations for change

SPEAQ Forum 2023 brings together local, national and international presenters and Qld network members in an interactive conference with a focus on broadening understanding and strengthening practice for DFV intervention practitioners.

Hear from Jackson Katz, co-founder of Mentors in Violence Prevention; Steve Halley and Dorthy Stucky Halley co-founders of the Family Peace Initiative; QUT’s Professor Michael Flood; staff of innovative New Zealand service He Waka Tapu; well-known DFV educator Dr Brian Sullivan; and a host of Quensland DFV sector professionals and network members.

The Forum explores our work and its connections with the broader fields of men’s violence prevention work and work with men and boys; culturally appropriate family intervention work; provides an opportunity for a deeper dive into skills and knowledge for trauma-responsive practice and effective intervention work; dealing with service challenges and more ...

This year's Forum provides:

• professional development facilitated by people with diverse and deep experience in the field. 
• opportunity to develop practice ideas for intervention work in multiple contexts, with a special focus on Men's DFV Intervention Programs
• an opportunity for a deeper dive into skills and knowledge for trauma-responsive practice
• explores our work and its connections with the broader fields of men’s violence prevention work and family support work
• opportunity to hear about new developments in the field and how services are dealing with a changing operating environment
• a chance to share practice wisdom and experiences with other practitioners
• a unique networking opportunity, bringing people together from within our specialist field, in Queensland and beyond
• an opportunity to further develop our practitioners and services network

Download the Programme Schedule here. There may be small updates to the programme as we approach the Forum date - be sure to check back for the latest version.

Pre-conference workshops

This year we're offering 2 half day workshops on Monday 30/10.

Working with Fathers using Family Violence, delivered by Natasha Chandran, No To Violence. See Flyer for more info.

Introduction to the River of Cruelty model and a Typology of Motive in DFV, delivered by Steve Halley and Dorthy Stucky Halley, Family Peace Initiative, Kansas. Attendance at this workshop is valuable for all DFV professionals, and is strongly recommended for those attending the SPEAQ Forum Days 1 and 2 who did not attend SPEAQ Forum 2022 in Cairns. See Flyer for more info.

Conference Dinner

We will be holding a Conference Dinner on Tuesday evening, when the venue's riverside location really sparkles! This will be a great way to connect with colleagues and build your professional network while enjoying some great food and drink and having some good-natured fun! And if you've noticed the date, we need to tell you it’s not Halloween themed, but if you choose to dress spooky, we’re not stopping you!

Canapes and drinks commence at 6:30 pm followed by dinner at 7:00 pm.

Related Training Events

Our special guests Dorthy Stucky Halley and Steve Halley from The Family Peace Initiative (FPI) are running a couple of other training events while they are in Australia:

24th October: Cracking the Code - a full day webinar on their Typology of Batterer Motive, with Connection to Risk and Lethality (online).

2nd and 3rd November: The Art of Facilitation - A Trauma-responsive Approach to Men’s Behaviour Change Work. A two day, deeply experiential training on FPI's unique approach to DFV Intervention work.

Read about FPI's visit to Australia and all training they are offering.

Travel Subsidy scheme

The SPEAQ Forum 2023 Travel Subsidy Scheme is designed to assist SPEAQ members from around Queensland, particularly in rural and remote regions, to travel to Brisbane for this year’s SPEAQ Forum. The subsidy covers travel and accommodation costs and a limited number of places are available to successful applicants. The maximum amount awarded to each successful applicant is $800.

Applications are now open! The subsidy will be paid as a reimbursement on substantiated travel expenses (however you can complete the application based on quotes). Closing date is 9th October.

Download the Information Sheet.

Registration

Note: Member prices are available to current financial members of SPEAQ (i.e. employees of member organisations and Individual members). If you are unsure of your member status, contact the organiser using the Contact Host button at the bottom of this page)

Monday (30/10) Workshop registrations close Sunday evening 22/10.
Forum (Tues 31/10, Wed 1/11) registrations close Monday evening 23/10!

If you intend to register but will have trouble meeting the above deadlines, please contact us on the Contact Host button at bottom of this page asap to discuss.

Click here to register.

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Thanks to our sponsor, WorkUP Queensland for their generous support of SPEAQ Forum 2023 through the Collaborative Grants program. Go to workupqld.org.au to find out more.

Thanks to Challenge DV for their generous support in sponsoring Dr Jackson Katz's keynote presentation, and their ongoing support through our partnership MOU. Learn more at challengedv.org

SPEAQ acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the traditional custodians of our land and sea. We pay respect to all Elders, past, present and emerging as well as to the individuals and organisations working in their communities to address all forms of domestic and family violence.

Please note refund policy includes refund up to 14 days prior to the event (less booking and processing fees).