2nd National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Family & Community Strengths Conference

Newcastle, NSW, 1-3 December 2009

Strong Stories, Strong Mob, Strong Kids: Growing Up Together

This conference was held at the University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW. Convened by the Family Action Centre at the University of Newcastle, Callaghan Campus and the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care Inc. (SNAICC).

The Inaugural Indigenous Family and Community Strengths Conference (now known as the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Family and Community Strengths Conference), held in April 2008, was a great success. Due to the overwhelmingly positive feedback and support for this event, the Family Action Centre will keep the momentum moving and will continue to share stories, successes and strengths of Indigenous families and communities.

The 2nd National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family and Community Strengths Conference brought together Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members, community workers, researchers and policy people to share stories about cultural, family and community strengths that have contributed to improving life for Australian Indigenous people and how this may effect policy and building capacity and have an impact on the wellbeing of Indigenous families and communities.

The conference explored family-centred strength-based community engagement in relation to:

  • Nurturing cultural identity in children
  • Promoting family wellbeing
  • Land, spirit and culture
  • Strengthening partnerships between families and communities
  • Indigenous approaches to family decision making & engagement
  • Stories of success
  • Mainstream agencies improving cultural competency
  • New research approaches aimed at producing practice based evidence
  • Building evidence from the ground up, with the involvement of elders families and youth
  • Establishing evidence of effectiveness of existing practices that are culturally appropriate, acceptable and believed to be effective
  • Government engagement in communities; taking a strength based approach
  • Mainstream agencies learning from Indigenous ways
  • Men and Elders
  • Learning from the strength and wisdom of our elders