Presenters

If you are:

• working as a foster carer
• currently or have previously been in foster care
• working in a position that supports fostering services at all levels
• conducting research around fostering issues, good practice, long term impacts etc
• making policies and funding foster care programmes

then you may have important information to share with a local and national audience and you should consider presenting.

Conference Aims

The Objectives of the Conference are:

• To celebrate the value of foster carers to our community;
• To provide a forum where a broad community of people interested in foster care can meet, learn, exchange views and have fun;
• To provide a forum for foster children and the birth children of foster carers to meet and explore issues;
• To enhance knowledge of cutting edge theoretical and practice perspectives about foster care;
• To impart national and international, up-to date and innovative research findings about foster care;
• To impart national and international, up-to date and innovative workplace ideas and practices supporting foster care;
• Increase professional expertise in foster care;
• Increase understanding of the nexus between theory and evidence-based practice;
• Afford opportunity for critical reflection of personal practice and ideology;
• Increase worker motivation, professional networking and recommitment and energising of delegates; and
• To recruit new foster carers.

Key Themes

Best practice

Messages from foster parents about what works
Messages from research
Messages from other states and overseas

The Biological Parents Voice

What having to foster your child is like?
Working with fostering agencies
Staying connected to your child

The foster child’s view of foster care

Living in another family
Residential Care v Foster Care
Leaving Care
Returning Home
Messages from adults who were fostered as children

The Foster Carers Own Family

Living with other people’s children

Training and development

Skills Based Workshops for Carers, Social Workers and other related professionals, Foster Children

Promotion of fostering and recruitment of foster carers

What works to attract, retain and sustain foster carers

Presentation Format

Skills Workshops/Active Participation Sessions

90 minute interactive skills workshop with a skills development focus which will allow a more in-depth discussion/exploration of issues. They should provide a contrast to paper presentation sessions through a more interactive approach to the subject matter and thought should be given to including participants’ expertise.

Poster Presentation (A2 size for paper-based displays)

Posters are display presentations of information about new ways of thinking, innovative projects, services, programmes, publications, research findings or partnerships. Poster sessions offer opportunities to meet people and display material in an informal setting. Presenters will have opportunities to address their displays during lunch and afternoon tea breaks.

Submission Details

Submissions need to be presented on the call for papers form available by clicking on the SUBMIT PAPER buttons on this page. Alternatively we can send you a Microsoft Word form which we request you complete as follows:

If using this option please return your submission to “Cindy”:mailto:cindy@fostercareconference.com

If you prefer you can also fax and/or post your form to us.

Abstracts

Abstracts should be no more than 250 words long and identify the type of presentation, the key theme of the paper, the questions it will answer and the evidence or data on which it will draw.

Bio/Photo

All submissions should be accompanied by a brief biography of no more than 150 words, together with a photograph (jpeg format) for the website

Key Dates

Presentation Selection Process

The conference committee will consider all submissions. Acceptance of the submission for the conference will be on the basis of a number of considerations including, how well the key themes are addressed, ensuring a mix of presentation styles and the merit, innovation or challenging nature of the ideas.

Contact Details

If you have any questions, please contact “Cindy”:mailto:cindy@fostercareconference.com or mobile 0417 789 162