CONFERENCE DESCRIPTION

The aim of the inaugural Right to Recovery conference by the Australian Domestic, Family, and Sexual Violence Recovery Alliance is to engage with colleagues and stakeholders about the importance of trauma recovery and healing in a relaxed informal environment. The conference will educate, inform, support and activate professionals, decision makers, and researchers about the need to focus on recovery and healing and best practice if, as a nation, we want to end gender-based violence.

The conference content will be determined by the Four Pillars of Recovery which guide the activities and policy recommendations of the Alliance.

The pillars are:

• Holistic models of health care

• Housing and economic recovery

• Responsive, safe, and accessible pathways to justice

• Centreing children and young people

The conference has attracted high quality national and international speakers who are leaders in the recovery and healing sector.

The 2023 conference will be held at Novotel Wollongong Northbeach, on Thursday 4th May and Friday 5th May, 2023. It will include 2 days of conference program, plus an opening dinner on the evening of Thursday 4th May.

EXPECTED CONFERENCE OUTCOMES

• Raise awareness of the need to focus on and invest in the domain of healing and recovery from abuse if Australia is to end gendered violence within a generation

• Bring survivor advocates, professionals, researchers, policymakers, and social impact corporations together to exchange knowledge about what works for recovery and healing from DFSV

• Facilitate and enable the building of a recovery and healing community across Australia: relationships, partnerships and collaborations

• Increase coordination across existing services to improve responses when supporting women and children healing and recovering from DFSV

• Showcase best practice(across all communities) for long term recovery and support for victim survivors rebuilding lives after abuse

• To contribute to the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032 with a focus on recommending outcomes and actions under the fourth domain of ‘Recovery and Healing’ for prioritisation and implementation in the 1st Action Plan

• Drive investment in healing and recovery support across Australia

Conference organising Committee:

• Sally Stevenson, Lula Dembele, Lata Satyen, Kelly-ann Tansley, Samantha Cooper, Carolyn Robinson, Tanya Elson, Talie Star, Melissa Edwards