Headline Speakers

Amanda Purvis
Training Manager, Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development, Texas
Richard Rose
Director and Founder, TLSWi, United Kingdom
Ursula Elisara
Immerse, New Zealand
George Elisara
Immerse, New Zealand

Government Speakers

The Hon Kate Washington MP
Minister for Families and Communities, and Minister for Disability Inclusion
The Hon. Sabine Winton BA BPS MLA
Minister for Early Childhood Education; Child Protection; Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence; Community Services
Sue Trembath
Director, Improving Placement Outcomes. QLD Government Department of Child Safety, Disability Services and Seniors

Advocates

Zoë Robinson
Advocate for Children and Young People, NSW
Steve Kinmond OAM
NSW Children’s Guardian

Speakers

Kate Beasley
SafeCare Project Officer, Wesley Mission
Leisa Bennett
Dharug Woman, Director Beyond Behaviour Community Services
Professor Stacy Blythe RN Phd
Head of Discipline – Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health, UTS
Chris Braddock
State Program and Engagement Coordinator NSW/ACT, CREATE Foundation
Belinda Coleman
Scheduling & Quality Lead, Curijo
Dr Milissa Deitz
Senior Lecturer in Communication and Creative Industries at Western Sydney University
Kathryn Eberly
Mental health social worker and clinical family therapist, Restoring Families
Fiona Endacott
Chief Executive Officer, Connecting Foster & Kinship Carers – SA Inc
Felicity Graham
Advocate, Founder and author
Samantha Hauge
Chief Executive Officer, Foster Care Association of Victoria
Julia Horton
Practice Manager, Wesley Mission
Julie Hourigan
Chief Executive Officer, SHINE for Kids
Damon Martin
Deputy CEO, ISSA
Jason May
Bawamarra Cultural Services
Dr Robyn McCarthy
Lecturer in Education Studies Education, University of Tasmania
Dawyte Hart-O’Neill
Lived experience survivor and advocate
Mary Paul
Young consultant, CREATE Foundation
Anjali Prabhu
Senior Intercountry Social Worker, ISSA
Melissa Pritchard
Lived Experience
Zahra Shire
Senior Worker, Flexible Funding, PCA Families Victoria
Bryan Smith
Chief Executive Officer, Queensland Foster and Kinship Care
Lainie Terbogt
Social worker and clinical family therapist, Restoring Families
Dr Elspeth Stephenson
Lecturer in Teacher Professional Learning, University of Tasmania
Lachlan Hobman
Lived Experience Advocate
Marly Wells
headspace National, Participation Advisor – First Nations

Hosts

Renée Leigh Carter
CEO, Adopt Change
Ellia Green OAM
Olympic Gold Medallist, Public Speaker, Advocate for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Emily Hikaiti
Ambassador & Lived Experience Advocate, Adopt Change
Michelle Stacpoole
Head of Communications & Engagement, Adopt Change
Loren Dumbrell
Carer Services Manager, My Forever Family NSW / Adopt Change
Zufi Emerson
Adoptee & Actor
Joel de Carteret
Adoptee and Filmmaker