In this episode of A Home and Healing for Every Child, host Melissa Doyle AM sits down with actress and Adopt Change advocate Zufi Emerson for a heartfelt and life-affirming conversation.
Zufi reflects on her family’s adoption journey, sharing the unique perspectives she and her brothers experienced growing up, and the simple honesty of children’s curiosity.
Melissa and Zufi connect through their shared ties to Ethiopian culture, exploring both personal and global perspectives on adoption.
Together, they dive into their roles as ambassadors, the lessons learned along the way, and the changes still needed to ensure every child has the chance to grow up in a safe and loving home.
Optimistic, determined, and full of light, Zufi offers a powerful voice for children and families.
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You can find out more about us at www.adoptchange.org.au
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Show credits:
Host: Melissa Doyle AM, Adopt Change Ambassador
Guest: Zufi Emerson, Adopt Change Ambassador
Sound Engineer: Grant Konemann
Executive Producer: Emily Hikaiti, Adopt Change, Ashton Kobler, Adopt Change, Renée Leigh (Carter), Adopt Change
In this special bonus episode of A Home and Healing for Every Child, Ambassador and host Jonah Bobongie is joined by fellow Adopt Change Ambassadors Joel de Carteret and Brad Murphy for an honest conversation about adoption, identity and the lifelong process of healing.
Each of these men has walked a different road – through reunion, grief, trauma, growth and resilience. Now, they come together to reflect on the threads that connect their stories and the lessons that emerge when those experiences are shared.
They explore what it means to tell your story as an adult, how that story evolves over time and the way healing reshapes our understanding of the past.
This episode is a reminder that no two journeys are alike – but healing deepens when stories are spoken and carried together.
Help us find #aHomeForEveryChild
Get in touch:
You can find out more about us at www.adoptchange.org.au
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Show credits:
Host: Jonah Babongie, Adopt Change Ambassador
Guest: Joel De Carteret, Adopt Change Ambassador, Brad Murphy, Adopt Change Ambassador
Audio Producer: Fernanda Dedic, Adopt Change
Sound Engineer: Grant Konemann
Executive Producer: Emily Hikaiti, Adopt Change, Ashton Kobler, Adopt Change, Renée Leigh (Carter), Adopt Change
In this episode of A Home and Healing for Every Child, Ambassador and lived experience advocate Emily Hikaiti is joined by fellow Ambassador – adoptee and filmmaker – Joel de Carteret. Joel shares his remarkable journey of returning to the Philippines and the life-changing experience of reconnecting with his birth family.
But Joel’s story doesn’t end there. He opens up about the evolving complexities of cultural identity, the lifelong impact of childhood trauma and his pursuit of healing through movement, film and dance.
With honesty and deep insight, Joel reflects on what it truly means to come home to yourself. This is a powerful conversation about memory, belonging and the ongoing work of healing.
Help us find #aHomeForEveryChild
Get in touch:
You can find out more about us at www.adoptchange.org.au
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Show credits:
Host: Emily Hikaiti, Adopt Change Ambassador
Guest: Joel De Carteret, Adopt Change Ambassador
Audio Producer: Fernanda Dedic, Adopt Change
Audio Engineer: Grant Konemann
Executive Producer: Emily Hikaiti, Adopt Change, Ashton Kobler, Adopt Change, Renée Leigh (Carter), Adopt Change
In this open and reflective conversation of A Home and Healing for Every Child, Board Member and Adoptee Gabrielle Stricker-Phelps sits down with Ambassador and fellow Adoptee Jonah Bobongie for a conversation about growing up, identity, and the many sides of adoption.
Jonah shares what it was like to grow up in Brisbane with a loving adoptive family while feeling disconnected from his Papua New Guinean roots and how that shaped his understanding of culture, identity, and belonging. Together, Gabi and Jonah explore the support they found in their families and friends, the early awareness they had of being adopted, and how stigma can linger even in the most positive of adoption stories.
From Launching Led By A Heartstring and finding the time to live life as a young adult, Jonah is able to reflect on the power of storytelling, the nuances in family, the strength that can come from healing in a way that can come in a way that doesn’t fit with society’s expectations of what an adoptee’s journey “should” look like.
This is a conversation about connecting, choice, and the importance of making space for all adoption stories.
Help us find #aHomeForEveryChild
Get in touch:
You can find out more about us at www.adoptchange.org.au
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Show credits:
Host: Gabrielle Stricker-Phelps, Adopt Change Board Member
Guest: Jonah Bobongie, Adopt Change Ambassador
Audio Producer: Fernanda Dedic, Adopt Change
Executive Producers: Emily Hikaiti, Adopt Change, Ashton Kobler, Adopt Change, Renée Leigh (Carter), Adopt Change
In this heartfelt episode, journalist and FutureWomen founder Helen McCabe speaks with former AFL player Brad Murphy about his early years in foster care, being adopted into a loving family and the lasting impact those experiences have had on his life.
Brad reflects on growing up surrounded by strong support, the values instilled by his adoptive parents and how those foundations helped him navigate the demands of elite sport and life beyond the game. He speaks openly about how his upbringing has shaped his approach to fatherhood, coaching and giving back to his community.
This is a grounded and moving conversation about the power of a nurturing family environment, the importance of connection and what it means to thrive.
Help us find #aHomeForEveryChild
Get in touch:
You can find out more about us at www.adoptchange.org.au
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Show credits:
Host: Helen McCabe, Adopt Change Ambassador
Guest: Brad Murphy, Adopt Change Ambassador
Audio Producer: Fernanda Dedic, Adopt Change
Executive Producer: Emily Hikaiti, Adopt Change, Ashton Kobler, Adopt Change, Renée Leigh (Carter), Adopt Change
In this moving second episode of A Home and Healing for Every Child, Ambassador and lived experience advocate Emily Hikaiti speaks with Phoebe Garland – Co-founder of a successful brand management and fashion & business consultancy agency, intercountry adoptee from Vietnam and advocate for ethical adoption and permanency.
Phoebe shares her powerful story of being adopted to Australia in the wake of the Vietnam War, and the lifelong journey of navigating identity, belonging and reconnection. Now at the helm of a thriving fashion business, Phoebe reflects on how her personal history informs her work, resilience and commitment to advocating for systemic change for children growing up without stable families.
Note: In this episode, Phoebe refers to her “adoptive mother” but meant to say “birth mother”.
This is a story of courage, creativity and using your platform to speak truth to power.
Help us find #aHomeForEveryChild
Get in touch:
You can find out more about us at www.adoptchange.org.au
Like this episode? Share your thoughts with us on
Show credits:
Host: Emily Hikaiti, Adopt Change Ambassador
Guest: Phoebe Garland, Adopt Change Ambassador
Audio Producer: Fernanda Dedic, Adopt Change
Sound Engineer: Grant Konemann
Executive Producer: Ashton Kobler, Adopt Change, Renée Leigh (Carter), Adopt Change & Emily Hikaiti, Adopt Change
Adopt Change acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded and edited this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respect to Elders past and present and end that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
In the first episode of Season 2 of A Home and Healing for Every Child, our CEO Renee Leigh (Carter) sits down with Emily Hikaiti, a passionate advocate with lived experience in the foster care system. Emily shares her powerful story navigating placements, finding moments of belonging and what the word home has come to mean for her. Now a strong voice for change, Emily uses her experience to advocate for better support, greater understanding and long-term outcomes for children and young people in care. Together, she and Renee explore what needs to shift in the system to truly support healing and stability.
This is a conversation about resilience, representation and why listening to lived experience is key to building a better future for every child in government care.
Help us find #aHomeForEveryChild
Get in touch:
You can find out more about us at www.adoptchange.org.au
Like this episode? Share your thoughts with us on
Show Credits:
Host: Renée Leigh (Carter)
Guest: Emily Hikaiti
Audio Producer: Fernanda Dedic
Sound Engineer: Grant Konemann
Executive Producer: Ashton Kobler & Emily Hikaiti
Adopt Change acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded and edited this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respect to Elders past and present and end that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
In this episode Bruce. D. Perry, MD, Phd. and Adopt Change Founder Deborra-lee Furness AO chat about understanding trauma and its impacts on healing. Dr Perry is an active teacher, clinician and researcher in children’s mental health and neurosciences holding a variety of academic positions. His work on the impact of abuse, neglect and trauma on the developing brain has impacted clinical practice, programs, and policy across the world. He is also co-author of best-selling book “What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing”, with Oprah Winfrey, and Principal of the Neurosequential Network. Adopt Change founder Deborra-lee Furness is an internationally acclaimed actress as well as a passionate supporter of children and defender of their human rights across the globe. Deborra-lee’s humanitarian work for children is a driving force in her life.
This conversation was recorded for Adopt Change Virtual National Permanency Conference 2021.
Help us find #aHomeForEveryChild
Get in touch:
Find out more about Dr Perry at https://www.bdperry.com
You can find out more about Adopt Change at www.adoptchange.org.au
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Credits:
Host: Michelle Stacpoole, Adopt Change
Guests: Dr Bruce Perry & Deborra-lee Furness AO
Audio Producer: Fernanda Dedic, Adopt Change
Executive Producer: Lily Allsep, Adopt Change
Adopt Change acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded and edited this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respect to Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
In this episode, Dr Stacy Blythe, Associate Professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University discusses the latest research on caring for infants in out-of-home care. You can read the research via the link below. Drawing on her skills as a nurse, knowledge as a researcher and experience as an authorised carer, her research focuses on the health and well-being of children in out-of-home care and their families.
This talk was recorded for the Adopt Change Thrive National Permanency Conference 2022, Supporting Children at Home and School to #THRIVE.
Help us find #aHomeForEveryChild
Get in touch:
You can read more about Dr Stacy Blythe here.
You can read the full Infant Research paper here.
You can find out more about Adopt Change at www.adoptchange.org.au
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Credits:
Host: Michelle Stacpoole, Adopt Change
Guests: Dr Stacy Blythe
Audio Producer: Fernanda Dedic, Adopt Change
Executive Producer: Lily Allsep, Adopt Change
Adopt Change acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded and edited this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respect to Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Adopt Change ambassador Lisa Sthalekar chats with Sue Brierley, the adoptive mother of Saroo Brierley, whose memoir was adapted into the Oscar-nominated Australian biographical drama film “Lion” starring Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman. This episode discusses Sue’s experiences as an adoptive mother as well as her book “Lioness”.
This chat was recorded for the Adopt Change National Permanency Conference 2021.
Help us find #aHomeForEveryChild
Get in touch:
You can see more from Sue Brierley here.
Get in touch with Lisa Sthalekar here.
You can find out more about Adopt Change at www.adoptchange.org.au
Like this episode? Share your thoughts with us on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok
Credits:
Host: Michelle Stacpoole, Adopt Change
Guests: Sue Brierley & Lisa Sthalekar
Audio Producer: Fernanda Dedic, Adopt Change
Executive Producer: Lily Allsep, Adopt Change
Adopt Change acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded and edited this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respect to Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
In this episode co-founders Joe and Tom Bennett chat about their charity ‘Foster the Future’ which aims to connect high school youth in out-of-home care with university student tutors. They founded Foster the Future in 2019 after seeing how mentoring and support can drastically improve the lives of young people in out-of-home care.
This episode was recorded for the Adopt Change National Permanency Conference 2022.
Help us find #aHomeForEveryChild
Get in touch:
Find out more about Foster the Future at https://www.fosterthefuture.com.au/
You can get in contact with us at www.adoptchange.org.au
Like this episode? Share your thoughts with us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok
Show Credits:
Host: Michelle Stacpoole, Adopt Change
Guests: Joe and Tom Bennett
Audio Producer: Fernanda Dedic, Adopt Change
Executive Producer: Lily Allsep, Adopt Change
Adopt Change acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded and edited this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respect to Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Additional info:
Tom Bennett is a data scientist working in the field of regulatory analysis. Tom graduated from the University of Sydney with a B. Commerce (Finance, Economics, and Commercial Law). Joe Bennett recently completed his Master of Data Science at the University of Sydney and is now working in Tech. Joe was named a finalist for the NSW Young Australian of the Year and is a deferred candidate for the Harvard Business School MBA Program.
In this episode Dr Jessica Pryce, chats about inclusive, equitable and effective child welfare. After earning her PhD at Harvard University and working in New York state for two years, Dr Jessica Pryce was appointed in 2016 the new Executive Director of the Florida Institute for Child Welfare. Her research has focused on the training and education of the workforce, racial disparity in child welfare decisions, and the disproportionality in the United States foster care system.
This episode was recorded for the Adopt Change National Permanency conference 2020 Supporting Children at Home and School to #THRIVE.
Help us find #aHomeForEveryChild
Get in touch:
Find out more about Dr Pryce at https://jessicaprycephd.com/
You can get in contact with us at www.adoptchange.org.au
Like this episode? Share your thoughts with us on
Show Credits:
Host: Michelle Stacpoole, Adopt Change
Guests: Dr Jessica Pryce
Audio Producer: Fernanda Dedic, Adopt Change
Executive Producer: Lily Allsep, Adopt Change
Adopt Change acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded and edited this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respect to Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Additional info:
Dr Jessica Pryce For the past 10 years, Dr. Pryce has been involved at multiple angles of child welfare (direct practice, teaching + training & policy and research). She has published on child welfare related topics, such as, training and education, racial disparity and anti-poverty practices. She has presented her research at 30+ conferences both nationally and internationally. She is the author of several op-eds focused on racial disparity and effective strategies to impact racial disproportionality within child welfare. Her TED Talk on Implicit Racial Bias in Decision Making has since been viewed over 1.2 million times.
Welcome to this special bonus episode where Adopt Change ambassador and TV Personality Daniella Park shares her personal story.
Help us find #aHomeForEveryChild
Get in touch:
Like this episode? Share your thoughts with us on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok
Credits:
Host: Michelle Stacpoole
Guests: Daniella Park
Audio Producer: Fernanda Dedic
Executive producer: Lily Allsep
Adopt Change acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay out respect to Elders past and present and end that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Daniella Park is an entrepreneur, TV personality, baking & lifestyle expert with influence who is passionate about inspiring people to creatively and simply enjoy food and each other’s company. She wholeheartedly believes that food is an expression of love and “kitchen therapy” is sharing more than just food in the heart of the home. She is passionate about sharing ways to make fancy simple. Having overcome her own personal struggles with dyslexia, Daniella is an advocate for doing what you love no matter the circumstances and motivates others by sharing her powerful story. She gives back and practices this mission through helping children find homes as an ambassador for Adopt Change. Daniella appears regularly on international TV, podcasts and social media bringing fun and sweetness to audiences across the globe.
In this episode Adopt Change ambassador Zufi Emerson chats with April Dinwoodie about integrating the voices of children and young people. April Dinwoodie is the host and founder of ‘Born in June, Raised in April’, a podcast which covers her personal experience in her adoption journey as a thought leader in transracial adoption, offering tools to help people navigate differences of race, class, and culture.
This conversation was recorded for Adopt Change Virtual National Permanency Conference 2021.
Help us find #aHomeForEveryChild
Get in touch:
Learn more about April Dinwoodie here.
Get in touch with Zufi Emerson here.
You can find out more about Adopt Change at www.adoptchange.org.au
Like this episode? Share your thoughts with us on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok
Credits:
Host: Michelle Stacpoole, Adopt Change
Guests: Zufi Emerson & April Dinwoodie
Audio Producer: Fernanda Dedic, Adopt Change
Executive Producer: Lily Allsep, Adopt Change
Adopt Change acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded and edited this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respect to Elders past and present and end that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Olympic gold medallist, Australian rugby sevens star and Adopt Change Ambassador Ellia Green talks about his personal journey to finding his identity. He shares intimate details from his upbring and how he stayed connected to his Fijian cultural heritage while growing up in Australia.
Help us find #aHomeForEveryChild
Get in touch: You can find Ellia on Instagram here.
Like this episode? Share your thoughts with us on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok
Credits:
Host: Michelle Stacpoole
Guests: Ellia Green
Audio Producer: Fernanda Dedic
Executive producer: Lily Allsep
Adopt Change acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay out respect to Elders past and present and end that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Ellia Green is a proud Fijian, retired professional rugby sevens player who was a part of the Olympic gold winning team at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Ellia also competed in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Rugby Sevens world cup in San Francisco and the International HSBC World Rugby Sevens circuit from 2012 through to 2021.
Prior to rugby, Ellia was a track and field sprinter, specialising in the 100M and 200M and made his first international meet in Doha Qatar in the World Juniors for the 100M and the 200M relay.
Ellia retired from rugby in August 2021 and is currently studying International Security Studies at Macquarie University. Ellia is a national Champion for Change ambassador for the United Nations Australia, a Raise Ambassador and an Adopt Change ambassador.
Since retiring from professional sport, Ellia has found liberation in his identity and sense of self along with the greatest achievement yet, becoming a Dad to daughter Waitui and fiancé to Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts. Whilst being an internationally successful athlete Ellia continues a strong commitment off the field for the rights of racial gender diversity and the wellbeing of marginalised individuals and groups.
In this episode, global leader in therapeutic life story work, Professor Richard Rose talks about ‘making sense of fragmented lives’ a model of practice currently engaged in the United Kingdom.
Richard shares how we can use therapeutic life work to make sense of the past and work out how our pasts may be affecting our capacity to feel confident and loved in our relationships today.
This talk was recorded as part of the Adopt Change Thrive Virtual National Permanency Conference 2020.
Help us find #aHomeForEveryChild
Get in touch:
Learn more about TLSWi and Professor Richard Rose here tlswi.com/about-tlswi/
You can find out more about us at www.adoptchange.org.au
Like this episode? Share your thoughts with us on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok
Credits:
Host: Michelle Stacpoole, Adopt Change
Guests: Professor Richard Rose
Audio Producer: Fernanda Dedic, Adopt Change
Executive Producer: Lily Allsep, Adopt Change
Adopt Change acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded and edited this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respect to Elders past and present and end that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Richard Rose is the Director of Child Trauma Intervention Services Ltd (CTIS) and Therapeutic Life Story Work International (TLSWi). Throughout his career, Richard has worked with children and their families in out-of-home care and within birth family placements, with the aim of enabling these placements to become healthy and nurturing.
The BackTrack program is for young people who are having a tough time and has helped decrease Armidale’s youth crime rate by more than 38%, keeping children out of correctional systems.
In this special bonus episode, Adopt Change Ambassador Emily Hikaiti chats to ‘Backtrack Youth Works’ founder Bernie Shakeshaft about the innovative program. Bernie is joined by Zach, who has participated in the program, and 'Trigger' and 'Striker', two of their working dogs.
This conversation was recorded as part of the Adopt Change Thrive 2021 Virtual National Permanency Conference.
A small language warning…the ‘sh**’ word is used a bit in this episode, so may not be suitable to listen to with small ears around!
Help us find #aHomeForEveryChild
Get in touch:
Learn more about Bernie and BackTrack here
You can find out more about us at www.adoptchange.org.au
Like this episode? Share your thoughts with us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok
Credits:
Host: Michelle Stacpoole, Adopt Change
Guests: Bernie Shakeshaft & Emily Hikaiti
Audio Producer: Fernanda Dedic, Adopt Change
Executive Producer: Lily Allsep, Adopt Change
Adopt Change acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded and edited this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respect to Elders past and present and end that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Bernie Shakeshaft decided to take action after seeing the plight of disadvantaged youth in his community. Starting in 2006 with a shed and an idea, Bernie founded the BackTrack Youth Works Program, turning around the lives of some of Australia’s most vulnerable kids. Using the skills he developed growing up and as a jackaroo in the Northern Territory learning from the Aboriginal trackers, Bernie developed an award-winning program that uses animal-assisted learning, agricultural skills and a residential facility.
Emily Hikaiti is an Adopt Change Ambassador, Lived Experience Advocate and a valued member of the CREATE community. Emily has been shortlisted for the ACYP Youth Advisory Council three years running and is an esteemed member of her local Youth and well-being Council. She has led our FACS Caseworker training and spoken at our Western NSW OOHC and Mental Health Interagency. Emily has been an MC at CREATE’s National Survey Launch and at the Their Futures Matter 2019 conference.
She is also an incredible parent and a successful entrepreneur with her two businesses including a photography business. Emily is passionate about reducing youth homelessness by extending the leaving care age in NSW and providing young people in care with better support networks, this has recently been executed through her newest business; providing advocacy and consultation on an individual, group, and systematic level around Australia.
In this episode, Adopt Change CEO Renée Carter speaks with Bruce. D. Perry, MD, Phd. about children with an experience of trauma, navigating the school setting. Dr Perry shares how educators can bring a climate of respect, regulation and innovation into the classroom for kids who have trauma backgrounds.
Dr Perry is an active teacher, clinician and researcher in children’s mental health and neurosciences holding a variety of academic positions. His work on the impact of abuse, neglect and trauma on the developing brain has impacted clinical practice, programs and policy across the world. He is also co-author of best-selling book “What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing”, with Oprah Winfrey.
This conversation was recorded as part of the Adopt Change National Permanency Conference 2022, Supporting Children at Home and School to #THRIVE.
Help us find #aHomeForEveryChild
Get in touch:
Find out more about Dr Perry at https://www.bdperry.com
You can get in contact with us at www.adoptchange.org.au
Like this episode? Share your thoughts with us on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok
Show Credits:
Host: Michelle Stacpoole, Adopt Change
Guests: Dr Bruce Perry & Renée Carter
Audio Producer: Fernanda Dedic, Adopt Change
Executive Producer: Lily Allsep, Adopt Change
Adopt Change acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded and edited this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respect to Elders past and present and end that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D. is the author of best-selling book What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing, with Oprah Winfrey. He is the Principal of the Neurosequential Network, Senior Fellow of The ChildTrauma Academy and a Professor (Adjunct) in the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago and the School of Allied Health, College of Science, Health and Engineering, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria Australia.
Renée Carter is the CEO of Adopt Change and a passionate advocate for the wellbeing of children and young people. She leads a team of Adopt Change Changemakers nationally, with major activities including the #THRIVE National Permanency Conference; My Forever Family NSW; Yesvember A Home for Every Child campaign; MyPacks first night back packs; Empower Change; along with engagement with community, government, media and the sector. Renée is a member of the Institute Advisory Group for the independent research centre Institute of Open Adoption Studies (The University of Sydney) and was previously Vice Chair of NSW Committee on Adoption and Permanent Care (COAPC).