A national summit on parents, families and carers is being held in Melbourne on May 24 and 25.

Anne Manne, an Australian writer and social commentator, who has written widely on feminism, motherhood, childcare, family policy, and related issues, will be a special guest speaker at the summit titled Awakening the Voice of Families in Services, Policy and Politics. It is being held at the Angliss Conference Centre.

“Parents, families and carers are the sleeping giant in Australian public life,” Anne said.

“We are the bedrock social unit in our nation, the key to social participation and cohesion, and the wellspring of belonging and personal identity. Yet we have no voice in our nation's affairs.

“We are unrepresented in parliaments. We are analysed and talked about to death by academics, politicians and journalists, but we never speak as ‘We’ and say ‘These are the changes we want’.

“I would like hundreds of people to gather in Melbourne in May to change this irreversibly."

Contributions to the summit are being called for, with the closing date for submissions being 26 February. Presentations may be papers, workshops, proposals or displays.

They are invited from parents, siblings and carers; support agencies; service providers; policy makers; researchers, governments and community leaders on parents, families and carers in services, policy and politics in Australia.

Contributions need to address a theme in one of the following three streams:

1. Policy analysis, case studies, innovation proposals, or policy reform proposals in the fields of:

health, education, welfare, disability, ageing and social support, child care

Indigenous affairs, family and social relationships, community strengthening and civil society, person and family-centred funding arrangements, rights and responsibilities frameworks.

2. Critical assessments of and prognoses for:

families and relationships with service providers, families and advocacy, families in research about families, families and governments, capacity and infrastructure for families, carers and families and who speaks for families?

3. Strategic perspectives on:

processes of empowerment of families and communities, processes of  public policy change, developing the public voice of families, shaping the public agenda, families and the political system.

Expressions of interest in presenting a paper or workshop or display should be forwarded, in no more than 300 words by 26 February 2010 to:

Vern Hughes
National Summit Convenor
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Tel: 0425 722 890

For further information and to register visit: http://www.civilsociety.org.au/Summit.htm