November 2020: Less talk of contact, more talk of family time: how to build enduring connections for children in care

On 30 November 2020, the Department of Communities and Justice, a joint collaboration between Family and Community Services Insights Analysis and Research (FACSIAR) and the Office of the Senior Practitioner (OSP), hosted a Research to Practice Webinar on family time for children in out-of-home care.

• The first presentation, Children’s relationships in out-of-home care by Judy Cashmore, Professor of Social Legal Research and Policy at Sydney Law School, University of Sydney, provided practice insights on family time and relationships from the Pathways of Care Longitudinal Study (POCLS) study.
• The second presentation, Fostering Lifelong Connections: Collaborative action research on Family Time practices by Amy Conley Wright, Associate Professor of Social Work and Policy Studies, University of Sydney and Billy Black, an expert-by-experience, provided insights on practices to encourage positive interactions between children’s birth and care families.

Webinar Presentation Slides

• Children’s relationships in out-of-home care
• Fostering Lifelong Connections: Collaborative action research on Family Time practices

Missed the webinar?  You can watch the videos of each presentation

• Children’s relationships in out-of-home care
• Fostering Lifelong Connections: Collaborative action research on Family Time practices

Want more information about the studies

Pathways of Care Longitudinal Studies (POCLS)

• More information about POCLS
• View Research reports and Evidence to Action Notes from (POCLS) published by FACSIAR

Fostering Lifelong Connections: Collaborative action research on Family Time practices

• More information about the study
• View a series of tip sheets and resources published by the Research Centre for Children and Families in the University of Sydney for supporting children and families to maintain connections:
  • Video chatting
  • Social online games
  • Letterbox exchanges and crafting activities
  • Meaningful conversations