No one in our society should be harmed through bullying, domestic and family violence or any form of violence. Queensland Youth Housing Coalition is holding a Forum to open the dialogue about abuse in our society and how to eradicate it.  Young people are a particularly vulnerable group who are impacted by violence that occurs in homes, in schools and in our society.

This is a Forum for all practitioners, policy makers, managers, team leaders, advocates, family and community members who work with or support children, young people, families and communities.  Those who are committed to understanding why violence and abuse occurs, understanding the multiple associated issues and consequences and are intent on being part of the solution in eradicating abuse of power from our society.

Platform 1225 is an insightful discussion between key stakeholders featuring the voices of young people, academics and practitioners. This year, the conversation is focusing on abuse of power and dynamics of harm whilst also looking at the intersection between domestic and family violence and its impact on the lives of young people.

Associate Professor, Social Work and Program Coordinator for social work and human services in the School of Social Sciences at USC.

Phil is lead author of numerous practice guides for youth drug and alcohol practice and participatory action research in human services. he has an ongoing interest in decolonising approaches to support Indigenous communities, and for the past four years has co-led a multi-disciplinary partnership between a university and the Aboriginal community of Cherbourg.

Katrina is the Community Legal Education Officer at the Youth Advocacy Centre, presenting legal information sessions to young people aged 10 – 18, including at schools, youth services, the youth detention centre and alternative education centres.

She practiced as a criminal lawyer at the Director of Prosecutions Office, Legal Aid Qld, the Crime and Corruption Commission and has worked in the Department of Education and the Department of Communities (Child Safety Services) developing child protection legislation.

Communities and partnerships Program Manager at the Brisbane Domestic Violence Service, Micah Projects, Belinda provides specialist and complex case management support and advice to the team of workers at the service.

She has an extensive working knowledge of complex risk factors regarding domestic violence and coordinating responses within the broader community sector. Belinda is a regular provider of specialist training and community education to service providers and community groups in Brisbane.

Sophie has worked in the domestic and family violence and sexual assault space in various positions at both practitioner and leadership levels within Women’s Refuge settings and crisis response services in New Zealand, Cambodia and Australia.

Having predominantly worked with children, young people and women who have survived trauma/abuse, Sophie is currently the Practice Manager at DVConnect, the state-wide crisis response service that provides a 24/7 Womensline, a Mensline and a Sexual Assault Line for all of Qld.

Ashleigh is a social worker for Clarence Street, a youth drug and alcohol service attached to the Mater Hospital, and management committee member for Zig Zag Young Women’s Resource Centre. She is passionate about intersectional feminist practice and the social inequities that underpin young people’s experiences of homelessness, trauma, substance use and gendered violence and presented at the 2016 Australian STOP Domestic Violence Conference, publishing a peer-reviewed paper on the organizational response to domestic violence occurring during homelessness.

Rhianon is the Research and Evaluation Coordinator for Brisbane Youth Service, guiding the organisational commitment to evidence-informed and reflective practice; and to measuring the real outcomes of their work with young people experiencing risks associated with homelessness.

She now specialises in working within the community sector enabling workers to develop and implement pragmatic evaluative approaches that help shape better services for people who are vulnerable and disadvantaged.

Having worked in government, non-government, and private practice across the sector for over 20 years, Chris is the founder and CEO of the Commsync Foundation, which harnesses the power of technology to compliment the evidence based practices in child protection, to deliver a family-led safety and support responses to our most vulnerable. Chris is considered one of Queensland’s longest standing and most respected child protection experts. In 2012, he completed a Churchill Fellowship into Family Preservation Services across the world and will be sharing some of his learnings and recommendations.