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2021 seminars

November 2021: Improving outcomes for children and young people in out-of-home care with justice contact

On 25 November 2021, Family and Community Services Insights, Analysis and Research (FACSIAR) from the Department of Communities and Justice in conjunction with Youth Justice hosted a Research to Practice Webinar on improving outcomes for young people with out-of-home care and Justice. The session was introduced by Stuart Malcher, A/Executive Director, FACS Insights, Analysis and Research.

Guest speakers included:

  • Dr Kath McFarlane from the University of New South Wales and the Director of Kath McFarlane Consulting from the University of New South Wales who provided literature and insights into recent Australian and international research that has examined the cross-over between the out-of-home care and youth justice systems.
  • Professor Chris Trotter from Monash University and Dr Phillipa Evans from University of New South Wales who spoke of a pilot of a single session family work intervention for at-risk young people and their families being undertaken in regional NSW, along with some considerations about using multi-agency approach to strengthen delivery.
  • Jordan White, a Youth Justice Project Officer who highlighted the trajectory and characteristics of young people who are, or have a high probability of being dual clients of Community Services (Out-of-home care & Child Protection) and Youth Justice and the practice implications.

Missed the webinar? You can watch the captioned recording here

Webinar recording: Improving outcomes for children and young people in out-of-home care with justice contact

Presentation slides

Children and young people in Out-Of-Home Care with criminal justice contact: Recent Australian studies (PDF, 464.0 KB) - Kath McFarlane

Single Session Collaborative Family Work (ANTS) (PDF, 123.7 KB) - Phillipa Evans and Chris Trotter

The Crossover Kids: Who are they and how to best support them (PDF, 729.6 KB) - Jordan White

Further reading

Kath McFarlane's Related Materials (PDF, 168.4 KB)

October 2021: Practices for fostering lifelong cultural connections for Aboriginal children in care

On 27 October 2021, Family and Community Services Insights, Analysis and Research (FACSIAR) from the Department of Communities and Justice hosted a Research to Practice Webinar on family and cultural connections for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The session was introduced by Jayde Ward, Director, Aboriginal Strategy, Coordination & Evaluation.

Associate Professor Lynette Riley, Associate Professor Amy Conley Wright and Sarah Ciftci from Sydney University’s Research Centre for Children and Families (RCCF) provided insights on the Fostering Lifelong Connections project that explores how caseworkers can support positive relationships with family and culture for children in out-of-home care.

The webinar premiered two short films produced by Desert Pea Media and the RCCF in collaboration with six Aboriginal caseworkers from DCJ and Uniting in Dubbo. ‘The Bridge’ shares the importance of family and cultural connections from a young person’s perspective, while ‘Building Bridges’ explores how caseworkers can foster these connections for young people in care. An accompanying film guide contains reflective questions, activities and additional resources that can be used in teaching, training and group supervision contexts.

Trudy Everingham and Stephen Newman, Aboriginal caseworkers in Dubbo, reflected on their role in fostering family and cultural connections and the importance of actively listening to the voices of children and young people.

Missed the webinar? You can watch the captioned recording here

Webinar resources

Presentation slides:

Links to films:

Want more information about the projects?

July 2021: DCJ Research Strategy webinar

On 14 July 2021, the Family and Community Services Insights, Analysis and Research (FACSIAR) from the NSW Department of Communities and Justice hosted a DCJ Research Strategy webinar with an introduction from Secretary Michael Coutts Trotter.

Guest speakers include Dr Kathleen Falster, Senior Lecturer at the UNSW School of Population Health and Associate Professor Paul Gray from the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research at the University of Technology, Sydney.

The webinar discussed the followings:

  • DCJ’s strategic direction to ensure that research focuses on filling evidence gaps and generates insights to improve policy, service delivery and client outcomes across all our Divisions and service streams.
  • Access to the HSDS which is unprecedented in scale in NSW, bringing together 27 years of data and over 7 million records about children, young people and families, from across government.
  • Access to POCLS data asset which brings together 10 years of longitudinal information on children and young people in out-of-home care in NSW.
  • How research with linked data can inform child and family policy and practice.

Interested in more information about DCJ Research Strategy, Human Services Dataset, Pathways of Care Longitudinal Study please visit

Webinar presentation slides


Last updated:

22 Jul 2024