Another 27 people attended virtually from regional and interstate locations.

The symposium was co-hosted by the Minister for Child Protection, the Hon Katrine Hildyard MP and Professor Leah Bromfield, Chair of the Child Protection Expert Group.

It was expertly Emceed by Simon Schrapel, CEO Uniting Communities and Oliver White, Chair Youth Advisory Council NAPCAN.

Thank you to all the non-government organisations, sector partners and people with lived experience of the child protection system who were involved in the symposium and shared their ideas.

The event marked the start of a conversation to radically re-imagine the way we respond to children and families in need providing an interactive experience where everyone had an opportunity to share their views.

It brought together young people, families, carers, workers and leaders from across sectors, academic experts, and other community members to hold conversations about the child protection and family support system, attendees’ aspirations for a fundamentally different system and how we can work together to create meaningful change.

Attendees heard from a range of different speakers and panellists, including individuals with direct experience, frontline practitioners, innovators and Aboriginal leaders, and were able to interact and share their views throughout the day.

More than 1600 unique posts were made and shared by attendees throughout the day to the virtual wall with suggestions and ideas for what needed to change, strengths that can be drawn upon and ideas for future.