Pat Jewell – Program Manager Parenting and Early Years
Pat Jewell has a background in early childhood development specialising in wotking with families where the children have experienced trauma.
Pat is the author of three publications “Getting Good Speech Going” (assisting young children with their speech) and two groupwork manuals for professionals “Out of the Mainstream” (working with parents with an intellectual disability in a group situation) and “From Strength to Strength” (for professionals facilitating diverse parenting groups).
Pat is the Program Manager of Parenting and Early Years program at Australian Childhood Foundation contributed to Bringing Up Great Kids suite training materials products for different family groups.
Pat works extensively with early childhood educators supporting their knowledge and practice about relational trauma and its impact on young children and their familes
Session 1: The Journey from Behaviour Management to Trauma Informed Practice
Workshop 1: The Journey Continues
Workshop 2: The Role of Play in Healing Relational Trauma (Long).
We have 6 training sessions in our online calendar which builds on the talks at the conference. https://www.professionals.childhood.org.au/early-years/
ABSEC – John Byrne & Dane Callaghan
John Byrne
John Byrne is a proud Dharawal man and an experienced Leadership Consultant and Cross-Cultural Training Specialist with over 20 years of international experience. His expertise lies in developing and delivering training programs that integrate Aboriginal cultural perspectives, fostering inclusive and trauma-informed learning environments. With a background in leadership, psychology, and philosophy, John served as CEO for a not-for-profit organisation supporting at-risk students in the Western Suburbs of Sydney for half a decade. He currently serves as the Coordinator of Cultural Programs at AbSec, where he designs and facilitates Cultural Awareness, Cultural Connection, and Trauma-Informed Care workshops, managing large-scale projects and remote training programs. John holds dual bachelor’s degrees in psychology and philosophy from UNSW, along with a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. His ability to translate complex concepts into practical, culturally responsive training solutions ensures meaningful engagement and lasting impact in the child protection sector.
Dane Callaghan
A Dunghutti/Tharawal man, born in Taree and raised in Kempsey, NSW. Dane has significant connections to the Kempsey, Taree and La Perouse communities.
He is experienced in the Child Protection Sectors and the Youth Justice Sector.
He holds Diploma in Community Services, Leadership and Management, Dane enjoys teaching and sharing his experiences and knowledge.
Day 1: Understanding the Landscape
🔹 The past and present realities of Aboriginal children in OOHC—why the system exists, how it operates, and the numbers that tell the story.
🔹 The impact of trauma on Aboriginal children and families in OOHC, and how providers can offer trauma-informed support.
🔹 The critical role of culture in the wellbeing of Aboriginal children and how to ensure cultural connections are maintained.
Day 2: Driving Change in the System
🔹 The systemic challenges in OOHC that create barriers to better outcomes for Aboriginal children.
🔹 The changes AbSec is advocating for and how providers can contribute to a more effective and culturally safe system.
🔹 The importance of leadership within providers—how strong leadership can drive and support meaningful, long-term improvements in OOHC.
By the end of this program, you’ll walk away with practical insights, tools, and strategies to better support Aboriginal children in care and lead positive change within your organisation.
Nēwara – Details to follow
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Prof Magaret Sims
Margaret is Honorary Professor of Early Childhood at Macquarie University having retired several years ago from her chair in early childhood at the University of New England. She has spent many years researching quality community-based services for young children and their families. She has numerous publications including a key infant and toddler textbook that is used across several countries (In search of relationships: programme planning for infants and toddlers). Margaret is involved in a range of community organisations; one of which is New England Family Support. She has 8 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren. Given the increasing push down of the school curriculum into early childhood services, she aims to demonstrate how play-based activities can be used to foster academic learning in her presentation. Her workshop will focus particularly on babies and the ways in which very early interactions foster infants’ language development.
Northcott ECS NDIS – Samantha Shipman
https://northcott.com.au/services/ndis-early-childhood-approach/
Hi! I’m Sam, the Community Capacity Building Facilitator for New England at Northcott Partner with the NDIS delivering the Early Childhood Approach. I am an early childhood educator with extensive experience in the education and disability sectors, as well as lived experience of disability. My role at Northcott is to support community services to have the confidence and capacity to be welcoming and inclusive of children 0-9 years who have disability or developmental delay.
NDIS for Children 0-9 Years (Workshop on 19th)
An overview of what NDIS looks like in the Early Childhood Approach, each of the pathways (Early Supports, Early Connections, and NDIS Plan), how to know when to refer a family to NDIS, and the referral process.
Inclusion as Daily Practice (Presentation on 20th)
There are a huge number of different types of disabilities and different needs, how can one service be inclusive of all of them, particularly with limited time and funding. This workshop breaks down simple, time effective, and cost effective ways to be more inclusive in your daily practice.
Disability/Development Conversations with Families (Workshop on 20th)
Talking to a child’s parents or caregivers about their child’s developmental delay or the need to have them assessed for a potential disability diagnosis can be challenging. If the conversation doesn’t go well, the child may not get the support they need. This workshop discusses how to approach conversations with families with empathetic yet clear communication.