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overview
The Children and Young People at Risk Summit 2025 will take place on 28-29 October at Rendezvous Melbourne. This year’s theme, “Engaging the Disengaged,” will focus on proactive, preventative, and productive approaches to supporting at-risk youth.
The Summit will feature dynamic, practical, and solution-driven discussions highlighting effective programs, invaluable insights, and essential learnings.
Gathering a national audience, the Summit welcomes key stakeholders and decision-makers from government departments and agencies, not-for-profits, NGOs, legal professionals, police, health practitioners, educators, and more.
Topics for this year’s Summit include:
- Using My Voice to Change the System
- Ensuring Young People are Safe and Supported
- Improving Out-of-Home Care
- The Effects of Trauma on the Brain
- Family Violence & Sexual Assault: Addressing and Identifying Risk
- Helping Young People Stay in School
- Intervention Orders
- Youth Justice, Youth Crime, and Early Intervention
- Promoting the Rights, Interests, and Wellbeing of Australia’s First Nations Children
- Protecting Children & Youth: Trends, Cases, and Legal Changes
- Trauma-Informed Practitioners
- Best Practices in Writing Family Reports and Clinic Reports
- Childhood Trauma
- Homeless Youth
- Mental Health of Children and Young People
- Collaboration and Information Sharing: Safely Keeping Children Protected
2024 Speakers
Anne Hollonds
National Children’s Commissioner, Australian Human Rights Commission
Liana Buchanan
Principal Commissioner for Children and Young People, Advocate for Children & Young People, Deputy Chair, South Sudanese Australian Youth Justice EWG
Emma Gierschick OAM
Children’s Advocate
Chris Lacey
General Manager – Programs, Les Twentyman Foundation
John Cardamone
Speaker, Educator, Survivor
Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon
Monash Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University
Ely Lee
General Manager Youth Justice South Area, Department of Justice and Community Safety
Darren Mort
Barrister, Victorian Bar
Shona Reid
The Guardian, Office of the Guardian for Children and Young People SA
Natalie Lewis
Commissioner, Queensland Family & Child Commission
Dr Cher McGillivray
Assistant Professor, Clinical Psychologist, Bond University, Director, Seed of Hope Psychology
Ron Prasad
Co-Founder, Beat Bullying with Confidence Foundation
Tracey Taylor
Director, Education Policy, Independent Schools Australia
Steve Kinmond OAM
Children’s Guardian, Office of the Children’s Guardian NSW
Ann Morison
Trainer, ChildSafe Australia, Family Violence Advocate
Neil Milton
General Manager, ChildSafe Australia, Founder, The Table Talk Project
Andy McKee
Acting Superintendent, Operation Trinity, Victoria Police
The Hon. Justine Elliot MP
Assistant Minister for Social Services and Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence
Clementine Brega
Manager, Complaints and Complex Cases, MACS
Supt. Michelle Stenner
Superintendent, Security and Counter Terrorism Command, Queensland Police
Giselle Pinto
Acting CEO, Ladder
Jodie Griffiths-Cook
Public Advocate and Children and Young People Commissioner, ACT Human Rights Commission
Amanda Pennacchia
Multi Agency Panel Coordinator, Youth Justice South Area, Department of Justice and Community Safety
Dr Kim Beswick
former Director, Gonski Institute for Education, University of New South Wales
Elicia Savvas
Associate Director, Child Protection, Family, Youth and Children’s Law, Victoria Legal Aid
Dr Luci Pangrazio
Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child
Dr Jodie Long
Assistant Principal – Education Research, David Scott School – Brotherhood of St Laurence
Richard England
Practice Leader REALIGN, Systemic Youth Project (RSYP) South Metropolitan Area, Department of Families, Fairness and Housing
Louise Edmonds
Founder, Men of Manners, Survivor Advocate
Chloe Shorten
National Advocate for the Rights of Children & Young People
A/Professor Jess Heerde
Principal Research Fellow, Department of Paediatrics, Melbourne Medical School, The University of Melbourne
Lauren Elson
Senior Education Advisor, eSafety
Kathy Warwick
Head of Trauma Consulting, Alannah & Madeline Foundation
Bonnie Dukakis
CEO, Koorie Youth Council
Micaela Cronin
Commissioner, Domestic Family and Sexual Violence Commission
Tim Warwick
Founder, Education Equality Alliance, Former Principal and Educator
Yusuf Liban
Executive Director, Multicultural Youth Group
Jordan Wilson-Otto
Principal, elevenM
Professor Kathryn Backholer
Professor of Public Health Policy and Co-Director of the Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition (GLOBE), Deakin University
Machar Machar
Youth Advisor, South Sudanese Australian Youth Justice EWG
Stephan Friedrich
Managing Director, Knightlamp Consulting
Sam Alderton-Johnson
Managing Director, Impact Policy, Adjunct Senior Lecturer, UNSW School of Law and Justice
Pricing
Testimonials
The Inaugural Children & Young People at Risk Summit was so much more than just a conference. It was literally an EXPERIENCE. Listening to & learning from so many industry leaders across so many different sectors made this a unique & incredibly valuable event. Can’t wait for next year.
Delegate, 2024
The event was amazing. So many great speakers and an awesome opportunity to network with like-minded professionals.
Delegate, 2024
Hearing from those willing to share their own experiences was very moving, creating a call to action so that together we can improve the lives of children and young people. Another highlight of the summit was the opportunity to hear from professionals across a range of sectors, which helped to build a larger picture of what is happening across the nation for many children and young people at risk. Speakers were knowledgeable and deeply committed to their causes, and their presentations were both informative and motivating.
Delegate, 2024
The Children & Young People at Risk Summit 2024, was a fabulous event, extremely well organised with fantastic speakers that have excellent knowledge in their field. I would highly recommend the summit to colleagues and peers in the future.
Delegate, 2024
Thanks so much for the opportunity I loved it. I truly believe that it was one of the best conferences I have ever been to.
Neil Milton, Speaker, 2024.
ConnectMe + Streamly
ConnectMe • Networking enhanced
All of our events utilise a bespoke dynamic smartphone app, ConnectMe – which guarantees attendees a premium event experience. Logins are sent prior to the conference commencement allowing you to check who’s attending, schedule in meetings and catch ups, participate in live Q+A and interactive polls, and much more. ConnectMe ensures you never miss a beat prior, during and post event.
Streamly • On-Demand video vault
Streamly is a new video platform from Informa Connect – hosting hours of session recordings from our events and more. Select the Streamly add-on at the checkout to receive year round access to exclusive On-Demand session recordings from all of our related healthcare events*. Login information will be sent post event.
* Note: In a minority of cases, speakers may request their sessions to be excluded from Streamly access.
Sustainability
Our Commitment to Sustainability
In Australia, we are committed to running our events in an environmentally and socially responsible way. Across Informa Connect we are focusing on the short and long-term sustainability impacts we have on customers and colleagues alongside the communities we work in.
We recognise that it’s not just about the way we produce our events and products but recognising that we have a role to play in providing a space to work in partnership together with our markets to inspire the sustainable development of the industries we serve.
To read more on our latest sustainability reports and Faster Forward initiatives – click here.
Event Code of Conduct
We want everyone who comes to our events to have a great experience. This code explains our expectations and rules, which includes general good practice behaviour, and how to report anything witnessed or experienced that goes against them. Read our Event Code of Conduct here.
when & where
contact
Still have a question?
General Information & Registration
Customer Service
+61 (0) 2 9080 4307
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Sponsorship & Exhibition Opportunities
Danielle Newman
+61 (2) 9080 4318
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Speaking Enquiries
Katrina Bowns
+61 (2) 9080 4322
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Marketing & Media Enquiries
Ishani Dutta
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