Wednesday, March 18, 2026

11:10 AM - 11:50 AM

Adelaide Oval - Leigh Whicker room

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Overview

Presented by: Clinton Bennell - Strategy, Policy, and Partnership Lead, First Nations Healing

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Details

Family at the Heart can transform the Domestic and Family Violence (DFV) sector through three guiding principles: Deconstructing, Decolonising and Creating New Systems. For too long, DFV systems have been built upon colonial foundations, designed to manage risk, enforce separation, and prioritise control. These systems have often spoken about Aboriginal families and not with them. This approach has resulted in disconnection from culture, kinship, and identity. To truly keep families safe, we must deconstruct these inherited structures, challenging the deficit-based narratives that define Aboriginal families by their trauma rather than their strength. Building new systems means weaving together the knowledge of culture and the strength of evidence. Through this approach, First Nations Healing has created a model that honours both worlds, combining best-practice frameworks with cultural ways of healing so that families are supported to stay connected, grow stronger and remain safe together. When we deconstruct what harms, decolonise how we respond, and rebuild systems with Family at the Heart, we move beyond crisis management to create sustainable, culturally grounded pathways of collective healing.