The 8th Annual SNAICC (Secretariat of National Aboriginal & Islander Child Care) National Conference was held in Adelaide from the 2nd to the 5th September 2019.
The SNAICC Conference is a platform for delegates and speakers to gather from around the country, to discuss challenges, share knowledge and experiences in raising happy, healthy and confident children. Hosted by SNAICC – National Voice for our Children, it is the national non-government peak body in Australia representing the interest of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
It is in KARI’s best interest to attend this conference, as it is the leading national conference for Aboriginal children in care. It allows our teams to explore what is happening in the space of programming to support children and families, as well as new innovations and programs.
KARI’s Clinic team was one of many to attend the conference to present their abstract on KARI’s Therapeutic Community Playgroup. KARI’s Therapeutic Playgroup supports urban Aboriginal families in engaging with early childhood development services, through a playgroup approach. Attending the conference is helpful to our Clinic team as it provides ideas to robustly build on the service we provide.
KARI’s Clinic team presented on the pilot phase of our playgroup over an 18-month period. Data collected shows that 60-70% of children who attended playgroup at one point within the pilot year, were also engaging with additional speech pathologists and occupational therapists, by using this playgroup as a pathway.
KARI also had representatives from our Cultural Unit attend the conference, to present on Cultural Care planning and Cultural Engagement with children and young people.
Troy Dargan, our Cultural Unit Coordinator, spoke about the relationships the Cultural Unit have been able to build with our children, through the various programs we deliver, including cultural camps and workshops.
As a result of this work, our children and young people are developing a strong sense of pride and identity.
