On Thursday 29 June, we held our last event for the 2017-2018 year at Dandenong Civic Centre. And folks, I’m writing to let you know, it was a triumph!
When we speak, we have about 60 seconds to capture our audience’s attention, establish credibility, orient them to our topic, and motivate them to listen. Alan Baker (CatholicCare’s Senior Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner) was the key presenter with facilitation by Cesca Gerner. The topic was “Towards Common Understanding and Practices” in Family Law. Alan delivered but not only in those first 60 seconds.
A 2 hour presentation covering 11 topics including “The Musts, the Mays and the Must Nots of Family Counselling”, the “Admissibility of Evidence”, “Family Violence in the context of the Act”, “Responding to Subpoenas” “Working with Independent Children’s Lawyers” to name just a few were delivered in such a way that the audience was clamouring for more. The dryness of the law was offset by some lively facilitation and audience participation. The event management was extremely professional, the venue classy and the catering superb. Our Project Officer, Adam Chetcuti, made the coordination and set up look easy but be assured it is not. Adam, was ably assisted by 3 of the “baby lawyers” who volunteer with us. They all, especially Adam, deserve thanks for ensuring that the event ran smoothly.
The audience was a good mix of family counsellors, family dispute resolution practitioners, lawyers, ICLs, private practitioners, family violence workers and workers from ancillary services.
If you are not already involved with the FLPN, here are some reminders of what our members get from participation:
• Access to the latest information about services offered by other network providers
• An understanding of programs, services, aims and approaches within the sector
• Expert opinions on the latest research and developments in family law
• Learning about the latest collaborative projects and news in family law
• Meeting other service providers in person and develop professional contacts
• Taking part in professional development and training activities.