Upcoming Events

Each year, parents who have experienced (and are experiencing) the child protection system gather with their allies.

We invite parents, alongside old and new allies, to discuss early support for families.

Hear from our panel of speakers including:

• Parents with lived experience of the child protection system

• Allies from the child protection and family support system

Tuesday, 3 June 2025,

10am–1pm
10:00am arrival and registration
10:30am event start
Light lunch provided

Queensland Multicultural Centre
102 Main Street, Kangaroo Point

Book online at tinyurl.com/GDOP2025

• Bookings for limited in-person tickets closed Tuesday 27 May
• Childminding will be available on site10am–1pm (registration essential)
• Can’t make it? A link to the live stream is available here.

GDOP 2025 flyer 3 June 2025

Parents with Child Safety experience in the past 5 years in Queensland are invited to take a survey to have their say.

The survey is anonymous — you cannot be identified. It asks questions about your experience.

An independent group called the Social Research Centre is running the survey. They are not allowed to share your individual survey answers with Child Safety.

The survey is a collaboration between:

• Family Inclusion Network, including parents with child safety experience
• Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Protection Peak
• Child Safety

Your voice matters. The survey information will be used to improve things for parents.

The survey closes 31 May 2025.

For more information, go to: srcentre.com.au/QLDparentsurvey

Join Family Inclusion Network (FIN) for an in-person workshop led by Parent Advocates educating parents and workers about how to use the Charter of Rights for parents involved with the child protection system in Queensland. (Not run by the Department of Child Safety)

Tuesday 19 November 2024

10:30am - 12:30pm

10 Thomas St West End, Q 4101

Who should join us?

Parents and workers involved with the Child Safety system in Queensland.

Please RSVP Here. If you have any questions, please contact the FIN team

3013 6030

info.fin@micahprojects.org.au

Flyer Parent Charter Workshop

Join Family Inclusion Network (FIN) and other parents to chat about navigating the QLD child protection, legal, and out-of-home care systems. Hear how parents gained support, addressed their child protection concerns, and became more included in the lives of their children. (Not run by the Dept of Child Safety.)

Friday 7th February 2025

Tuesday 4th March 2025

Tuesday 1st April 2025

Friday 9th May 2025

Friday 13th June 2025

10.30am - 12.00pm

Parent to Parent ISN’T

• Legal or professional advice
• 'Department-bashing'
• Shameful

Parent to Parent IS

• An opportunity for parents to meet each other and get support from each other
• Accepting, compassionate, empathetic and uplifting

Who should join us?

Parents involved with the QLD Child Safety system

Get in touch with us for the ZOOM link at 3013 6030 or info.fin@micahprojects.org.au

We hope you can join us!

FIN 2025 Parent to Parent flyer

GLOBAL DAY OF PARENTS FREE FORUM

Live in Brisbane + Streamed Online

rethink
redefine
resource

Right now, parents are sacrificing more than ever as the ‘cost of living crisis’ creates deeper inequality.

Hear research on inequalities in child welfare (income, postcode, ethnicity, gender).

Join the discussion on how we might re-think and re-define the budgets and ‘systems’ that impact families? How might we resource parents and families in ways that work today?

Featuring guest speaker Prof. Jonathan Scourfield (Cardiff University, Wales)
Prof. Scourfield will discuss his research on this topic. He is Professor of Social Work at Cardiff University (Wales). He is co-speciality lead for social care research, and a Health and Care Research Wales Senior Research Leader. In a recent analysis of academic impact in the social work field, based on citations in peer-reviewed journals, he was ranked #41 in the world.

Tuesday, 4 June 2024

10am–1pm

9.45am registration

Light lunch provided

Queensland Multicultural Centre

102 Main Street, Kangaroo Point 4169 (Auditorium)

Bookings for limited in-person tickets close Tuesday 28 May

Child minding will be available on site 10am–1pm (registration essential)

Register to stream the event.

Can’t make it? A link to the live stream will be provided prior to the event, but still please register with the link above by May 28.

2024 Tea Time for Parents

We warmly welcome parents who have or have had children in care to hear your opinions and views on what works and doesn't work for families. Meet over tea in a relaxed and welcoming environment.

FIN 2024 Parent Tea Time Flyer

If you joined our forum - here are some information and links:

Some further readings:

• Diane DePanfilis Family Connections CEBC » Program › Family Connections (cebc4cw.org)
• Diane DePanfilis -https://www.umaryland.edu/champions/2015-champions/diane-depanfilis/
• Results of Diane's online poll with the audience: "What are the benefits of a new approach?"
• Diane's slides 1 June forum - Diane DePanfilis 1 June slides

Take action!

• Parents have your say! The Queensland Family and Child Commission has launched a survey asking parents about their experience of Child Safety processes. Respond here.
• Free Parent Advocate Training. 11 Jul–24 Oct 2023. South Brisbane - see flyer and more information below on this webpage.
• The "Charter of Rights for parents involved with the child protection system in Queensland” was launched 12 months ago. Read it. Share it. And please comment on how the Charter is working via info.fin@micahprojects.org.au
• Read our Equal Chance Newsletter - written by and with parents and families in the Qld Child Protection System.
• Join FIN (Family Inclusion Network) via our Contact Us page.

Speakers

• Dr Diane DePanfilis, Professor, Silberman School of Social Work, New York
• Dr Karen Healy, Professor, Social Work and Acting Head of School – School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, University of Queensland
• Justin Power, Director Member Services, the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child
  Protection Peak
• Karyn Walsh, CEO, Micah Projects

In Term 3, FIN is launching FREE Parent Advocate Training! This training is designed by and for parents with lived experience of being parents in child protection and/or family support systems. It will teach parents to use their experience to undertake systems advocacy to improve those systems.

This year's forum will focus on the importance of early support for families. Imagine if the support families received was practical, adaptable, tailored, safe, and early.

Early support for families is proven to prevent expensive, harmful crises, reduce generational disadvantage and improve children’s development.

The free forum will be held in-person at the Queensland Multicultural Centre, and will also be streamed online (for those outside of Brisbane).

Thursday 1 June 2023
9.30am – 11:30am QLD/AEST
9:00am arrival for 9:30am start

Queensland Multicultural Centre (Auditorium)
102 Main Street, Kangaroo Point, 4169
Registrations essential, register here.

RSVP by 25 May