What are families doing right?

Friday 2 December 2005

“We all seem to know what the problems with Australian families are, yet we know very little about the things that families are doing well,” says Judi Geggie from the University of Newcastle.

“We often hear what’s wrong with single parent families, how dads are neglectful and don’t go to family events at the same rate as the mums, and how much crime exists in a particular community,” says Judi.

The 4th Australian Family and Community Strengths Conference aims to change this by highlighting programs and research that look at the strengths of families and what’s working well in communities.

The Conference aims to bring together practitioners, principals, teachers, health and community workers and organisations both interested in and committed to a strengths approach to supporting families and communities.

Judi says an effective approach to prevention and early intervention work is the strength based approach. “This is where practitioners work with families to focus on their strengths in order to address some of the issues in their lives, and work with communities to build on and strengthen its assets, resources and networks.”

“Family strengths are those qualities that families identify as significantly contributing to their resilience and ability to bounce back from the challenges of life and adapt to change.”

“Research from the University of Newcastle in 2000 found that families identified seven strengths that fortify their resilience: communication, togetherness, sharing activities, support, affection, acceptance and commitment,” says Judi.

More than 300 people will attend the 4th Australian Family and Community Strengths Conference at the University of Newcastle from Monday 5 – Thursday 8 December 2005. A full program is available from http://www.pco.com.au/family

Keynote speakers include:

Professor Marianne Berry, University of Kansas, USA – Providing research and evidence for strengths-based practice

Paul Ferris, Kavanagh College, New Zealand – It takes a Whole Village to Raise a Child: The changing paradigm of schooling

Dr Chris Sarra, The Indigenous Education Leadership Institute, Queensland - Sharing the evidence of effective school and community partnerships

For interviews: Michelle Gifford, Family Action Centre, on (02) 4921 6830.