A note from the Conference Committee

On behalf of the co-hosts, partners, and the planning group, we warmly welcome you to this gathering, ‘One Fire, Many Flames: Lighting the Way Forward for Our Families’.

We acknowledge that this symposium is being held on the lands of the Kaurna people, the Traditional Custodians of the greater Adelaide Plains. We pay our deep respects to Kaurna Elders past and present, and honour their ongoing connection to Country, culture, community, and kinship. We also acknowledge the strength, resilience, and knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across this land, and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded. We are grateful for the opportunity to gather on Kaurna Country to share knowledge, truth-telling, and collective learning, in the spirit of strengthening families and communities now and for generations to come.

This symposium brings us together to celebrate Blak excellence in nurturing and strengthening Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families – from preconception through the early years and beyond. It is an opportunity to honour the knowledge, leadership, persistence and commitment that already exists across our communities, services, research, and policy spaces.

We know there are many people deeply dedicated to improving care and support so our families can thrive, once again, on this abundant land. Across our diverse network, there are significant achievements, hard-won progress, and important incremental changes to recognise, honour and celebrate. This symposium offers a space to walk together in that shared journey – to reflect, to learn, and to strengthen our collective efforts into the future. Throughout the symposium, we will share experiences of successes and challenges in using research to drive real improvements in services and policy for the benefit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. Central to this work is ensuring that community voices are heard and centred within practices and decision-making, services are supported to continuously improve, and that policymakers are equipped to make informed, accountable decisions.

Together, we will explore what is needed to drive meaningful, system-level change and light the way forward for our families. In addition to an inspiring and practical program, we are proud to host the launch of the Birthing on Country Roadmap, share resources developed through the Replanting the Birthing Trees Project and to facilitate a discussion led by the It’s Time to Flourish (ICARE) project on what a national network to embrace our collective efforts to improve support for families might look like.

Above all, this symposium is grounded in creating a culturally safe space, with a focus on everyone’s well-being. A safe space that honours community solidarity, leadership, truth-telling, and can meaningfully support change across the systems that impact families and communities. Designated times and spaces will be available throughout the gathering for attendees to enhance their well-being.

We welcome community members, service providers, researchers, and policymakers who are committed to improving care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. Your presence here matters, and your contribution is part of the shared fire that strengthens and nurtures us all.

We look forward to lighting this path together.