Northcott attends Early Years Conference in Cairns

In May, Northcott’s Early Childhood Approach team made their way up to tropical North Queensland – Cairns for the Early Years Conference 2022. This was the first in person conference for the team in over two years.

What is the Early Years Conference?

The Early Years Conference promotes the wellbeing of children and families by advancing collaboration and evidence-based practice. The conference was held over two jam packed days. It provides a platform to reflect on multiple perspectives to improve early childhood development.

The Cairns Early Years Conference takes a cross-sector approach and is relevant for many professionals working with children from birth to 12 years. This includes early childhood educators, healthcare professionals, child protection professionals, family support workers, child and family counsellors, community workers and program managers. 

What happened this year?

The theme of the conference this year was, “It takes a village to raise a parent”.  Northcott’s Community Capacity Building Manager Maree Bisby presented on day 2 of the conference. She shared the early childhood approach’s perspective of understanding a child’s needs through the eyes of their family. Two Coordinators from the team – Amy and Dana – also presented on their experiences working in Early Supports and Planning. This was their first time presenting on a stage to a national audience. They shared some beautiful stories of how they supported families to transform their lives and their care giving practices.  

Maree explains, “There was not a lot of down time, however at the end of each day we did get the opportunity to come together and discuss our learnings from the day over a well-earned dinner. It was a great time for staff from all our regions to come together and experience the conference. It was also fantastic to also share stories and learn from one another”.

In all too short a time the conference was over and the team made their way back home. It was a great opportunity for Northcott’s early approach team to network with professionals across the early childhood sector.