CONFERENCE PROGRAM
Take a look at what’s in store!
With themes centered on Understand Me, Support Me, and Enable Me, the 2025 ChildKind Conference program provides a rich blend of keynote addresses, interactive workshops, and panel discussions—all designed to empower professionals in creating meaningful, child-centered outcomes.
The following program is provisional in nature and subject to change without notice at the discretion of the Organising Committee.
Sunday, 26 October 2025
6:30pm - 8:30pm
Monday, 27 October 2025
8:00am - 5:00pm
8:00am - 3:30pm
Exhibition open
Level 1, Manly Pacific
9:00am - 10:30am
Opening Session
Ballroom, Manly Pacific
Conference open & welcome
Yvonne Keane | Chief Executive Officer, Reimagine Australia
Welcome to Country / Acknowledgement of Country
Reconciliation Australia
The ChildKind Framework & 10 Ways of Working
Jane Warren | Senior Lecturer, Faculty of the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, School of Education, Univeristy of Wollongong
Invited address
Chenai Mupotsa-Russell | Founder, Rainbow Muse
10:30am - 11:00am
Morning tea and networking break
Level 1, Manly Pacific
11:00am - 12:30pm
Concurrent sessions | Explore the 10 ChildKind Ways of Working
Level 1, Manly Pacific
ROOM 1: Observe & Respond
“Families are the Agents of Change. All the Magic Happens in Between Therapy Visits”: Speech Pathologists’ Perspectives on Core Elements and Strategies for Collaborative Approaches
Jessica Hassett
Healing from the Start: Responding to Childhood Trauma Through Collaborative, Child-Centred Practice
Haragobinda Baidya
12:30pm - 1:30pm
Lunch & networking break
Level 1, Manly Pacific
1:30pm - 3:00pm
Concurrent sessions | Explore the 10 ChildKind Ways of Working
Level 1, Manly Pacific
3:00pm - 3:30pm
Afternoon tea and networking break
Level 1, Manly Pacific
3:30pm - 5:00pm
Closing session
Ballroom, Manly Pacific
Everyday Allies: Inclusion in Action - Embedding intersectional allyship in early childhood education
Jenae Tien Jenkins
Inclusion in ECEC Panel
Day 1 wrap up
Yvonne Keane | Chief Executive Officer, Reimagine Australia
6:30pm - 7:00pm
Pre-dinner drinks
Level 1, Manly Pacific
7:00pm - 10:30pm
Conference Dinner & Awards
Ballroom, Manly Pacific
Conference welcome reception
North 55, Manly Pacific
Registration open
Level 1, Manly Pacific
ROOM 3: Promote Inclusion
Breaking Barriers: Inclusive Practices at Mikarie Child Care Centre
Naomi Hardiman & Cathy Quinn
Whole Systems, Whole Child: Family-Centred Support for Vision Loss
Shona Lal
Creating Inclusive Sensory Spaces for Neurodivergent and Disabled Children
Ciara McKillop
ROOM 4: Individualise my supports
Accessing Support for Children with Rare and Undiagnosed Genetic Conditions
Fleur Smith & Heather Renton
Beyond the Cane: Individualising Orientation and Mobility for Children With CVI and Complex Needs
Carolyn Bates
The ABCs of behaviour - How to use functional behaviour analysis to support behaviours that challenge
Jaime Sharman
ROOM 5: Embrace Evidence
Trauma Changes the Brain: A Mindful, Neuroscience-Informed Approach to Supporting Children
Kate Hodgekiss
Practical strategies in Inclusion
Dr Jane Warren
Inclusion in Practice: Lessons from the Field Across NSW and the ACT
Emma Pierce & Carolyn Wilson
ROOM 1: Be Agile
SENSORY INTEGRATION SIMPLIFIED - Tips on integrating sensory processing principles into your everyday practice to support ALL children
Holly Gawthorne
Sick Happens: How to respond to inevitable childhood illness with confidence and compassion
Penny Blunden
Anchoring Practices in Developmental Frameworks to Support the Learning and Capacity Building of Parents and Professionals
Marie-Eve Dostie
ROOM 2: Centre me & My Family
With Me: Empowering Parents and Carers with Everyday Tools to Nurture Development
Natalie Kidd
The Key Worker/Lead Practitioner Model: A Transdisciplinary Approach to Supporting Children and Families
Helen Dalgleish
Tailored Together: Enabling Families to Drive Early Intervention
Charlotte Joscelyne-May
ROOM 2: Collaborate with others
Grounding & Strengthening Research Through Meaningful Stakeholder Involvement
Jessica Hassett
Bridging the Gap: Collaborative Strategies for Teaching Students Who Are Deaf or Blind
Lisa Wahab
Walking Together: Embedding Cultural Ways of Knowing in Inclusive Early Childhood Practice
Aunty Denise Proud & Dr Melinda Miller
ROOM 3: Learn & Grow
More Than Words: Supporting Language Development with Key Word Signing
Megan Mahon
Cultivating Joy: A Transformative Approach to Early Childhood Practice and Organisational Growth (workshop)
Dr Cathy Little
Workshop TBC
Chenai Mupotsa-Russell
ROOM 4: Build my capacity
Supporting Neurodivergent Staff in ECE Settings
Christina Keeble & Rhi Sugars
Personhood360: A Holistic Planning and Programming Tool Helping Children Flourish Through Play
Rod Soper
Supporting Early Career Clinicians to Build Strong Therapeutic Relationships with Families - Marie-Eve Dostie
ROOM 5: Support my Transition
Rethinking Approaches: Beyond Diagnosis, Toward Inclusion and Belonging
Dr Charmaine Bernie
Libraries as Community Connectors: Accessible Communities for Young Children
Kylie Aekins
Strengths, Not Struggles: Reframing Support Through Lived Experience
Carina Beattie
Registration now open
Super early bird rates apply until 31 July 2025 or until allocation is exhausted.
Tuesday, 28 October 2025
8:00am - 5:00pm
8:00am - 3:30pm
Exhibition open
Level 1, Manly Pacific
9:00am - 10:30am
Opening Session
Ballroom, Manly Pacific
Conference open & welcome
Yvonne Keane | Chief Executive Officer, Reimagine Australia
Keynote Address - Title TBC
Em Hammond | NeuroWild
Couch conversation
10:30am - 11:00am
Morning tea and networking break
Level 1, Manly Pacific
11:00am - 12:30pm
Concurrent sessions | Explore the 10 ChildKind Ways of Working
Level 1, Manly Pacific
12:30pm - 1:30pm
Lunch & networking break
Level 1, Manly Pacific
1:30pm - 3:00pm
Concurrent sessions | Explore the 10 ChildKind Ways of Working
Level 1, Manly Pacific
3:00pm - 3:30pm
Afternoon tea and networking break
Level 1, Manly Pacific
3:30pm - 5:00pm
Closing session
Ballroom, Manly Pacific
Closing Keynote
Sonny Jane Wise | Neurodivergent advocate and writer, Lived Experience Educator
Panel
Conference Close
Yvonne Keane | Chief Executive Officer Reimagine Australia
Registration open
Level 1, Manly Pacific
ROOM 1: Observe & Respond
Every Moment Counts: Introducing the DIRFloortime® Approach to Early Childhood Practice
Megan King
Kia whakarongo aroha….listen with empathy
Naina Modi-Patel & Tāwera Ormsby
RURAL REWARDS - Why working in remote locations is not just beneficial for the communities - but for you as the professional.
Holly Gawthorne
ROOM 3: Promote Inclusion
Leading Inclusion: Supporting Early Childhood Educators to Embed Anti-Bias Practices
Rachel Bao
Building community by looking at the world through a lens of Intersectionality
Amanda Blakers
Narragunnawali: Reconciliation in Education – RAPs for Schools and Early Learning Services
Nick Kilpatrick
ROOM 4: Individualise my supports
The 7 C’s Framework: Practical Neurodiversity-Affirming Strategies for Everyday Support
Joanne Hatchard
Whole Systems, Whole Child: Family-Centred Support for Vision Loss
Shona Lal
Practical & Neuro-affirming Support Plans in ECE Settings
Christine Keeble & Rhi Sugars
ROOM 5: Embrace Evidence
Coordinated Developmental Supports: Embedding Goals into Daily Routines for Real Inclusion
Janine Tout
Workshop TBC
Jenae Tien Jenkins
ROOM 2: Centre me & My Family
Adapting Support to Fit the Family in Front of You: Clarity, Capacity & Collaboration
Alyce Svensk
Couch conversation - Lived experience
Heidi Denner, Jamie Dunn & Carina Beattie
ROOM 1: Be Agile
Embedding Open Dialogue & Responsive Design in Allied Health Early Intervention
Kirslyn Conlon
Bridging the Gap: Practical Tools for Authentic Collaboration in Early Childhood Supports
Carolyne Jones
Support That Fits: Reframing Services for AuADHD Through a Neuroaffirming Lens
Christina Keeble
ROOM 2: Collaborate with others
Collaborating for Impact: How Our Key Worker Approach Strengthens Families and Empowers Children
Lara Elliott
Many Hands, Many Voices: Creating a Preschool Model That Reflects First Nations Perspectives
Fran McCarthy
Bridging the Gap: Inclusive Teaching Strategies for Students Who Are Deaf or Blind
Lisa Wahab
Evaluating a multidisciplinary, multi-modal training approach for AAC teams in regional Australia
Helen Dimond, Tammie Cunningham & Emily Hayles
ROOM 3: Learn & Grow
Using a Multisensory Approach to Build Emotional Regulation and Executive Functioning in Early Childhood – The Key Worker Role
Precious Zigori
Ready to Thrive: Inclusive Strategies to Foster Self-Regulation in Early Childhood
Angela Lockwood
Inclusive Leadership
Dr Amie Fabry
ROOM 4: Build my capacity
Title TBC
Leo Haythornthwaite
Thinking in Colours: A Whole Centre Approach to Emotional Regulation
Jenni Machin
More NeuroWild Things!
Em Hammond (NeuroWild)
ROOM 5: Support my Transition
Supporting Children Through Transitions
Sara Nogueira
Nurturing Emotional Safety & Security (NEStS): Responding to behaviours which challenge in early education contexts
Fay Gowers
The Childkind Framework in Action: reimagining supports in ECEC settings
Heidi Denner & Panel
Registration now open
Super early bird rates apply until 31 March 2025 or until allocation is exhausted.