SECTOR DEVELOPMENT

Training we deliver & facilitate

Upcoming training and sector development

  • The latest round of JCRs has been completed. The next series will be launched in the second half of 2026. Subscribe to Families ACT’s email list for further update.

    Subscribe to Families ACT for updates. An Eventbrite link for registration will be available April 2026.

    About JCRs:

    Joint Case Reviews (JCRs) are structured group learning activities providing frontline staff the opportunity to reflect on the nature of work with vulnerable families.

    JCRs promote reflective discussion on casework practice using a professional learning methodology. A key focus is on changing the language of review in practice to 'good' and 'problematic' practice and avoid the language of 'errors' and 'mistakes'.

    If you have any questions or want more information about JCRs, please email Families ACT at comms@familiesact.org.au

  • Families ACT and the Youth Coalition of the ACT have developed a reflective supervision training package specifically for local community sector services.

    The training aims to:

    • inform and support emerging and existing leaders across the Child, Youth and Family Services Program

    • provide you with a space to practice reflective supervision skills, including contracting, creating the conditions for reflection and working through difficult situations and ethical challenges

    • encourage informed and reflective practice

    • enable your practitioners to feel better able to cope with their work and workplace, reducing burnout and improving job retention and satisfaction

    • build a reflective workforce, committed to ongoing professional growth, and supported by quality supervision.

    Families ACT and the Youth Coalition of the ACT will be offering further training in 2026.

    Subscribe to Families ACT for further updates.

    If you have any questions or want more information about this training, please email comms@familiesact.org.au

  • The Casework Reflective Tool’s focus is on key components of casework practice. Feedback from those trained in the tool is that it promotes improved reflective capacity and increased confidence as well as greater understanding of the principles of evidence-based casework practice, in particular strengths-based practice, and a stronger focus on improving outcomes for clients.

    Families ACT holds regular Casework Reflective Tool training including follow-up visits for CYFSP and non-CYFSP staff. For more information about the training including upcoming training dates contact Will Mollison on eo@familiesact.org.au

  • The Practice Framework was developed in 2011 and was designed to provide practitioners from different disciplines and professional backgrounds with a common language and shared practice when working with vulnerable members of the community. It prioritises the safety, development and wellbeing of children and young people, providing practitioners with a series of practice triggers to support their work, including a focus on phases of practice.

    The emphasis in the Framework is on what practitioners from diverse professional backgrounds do in common, not what they do differently. The Framework is used by all CYFSP Services and has a focus on promoting collaborative work across the service system.

    We are not running the Practice Framework training at the moment, but if you would like more information please contact Families ACT on comms@familiesact.org.au

CYFSP Workforce Capability and Learning Framework

Families ACT and the Youth Coalition of the ACT, in partnership with Spark Space, released the CFYSP Workforce Capability and Learning Framework. This Framework provides a shared, practical foundation for how workforce capability is defined, developed and supported across the ACT child, youth and family sector. It is designed to guide workforce development and training decisions, support coordination and alignment, and reduce fragmentation, duplication and inequity in how capability is built and maintained.

The Framework is intended to support:

  • The Workforce Development and Training Subcommittee (WDTC) in guiding strategic planning and training investment.

  • Organisational workforce planning, supervision, induction and development.

  • Practice Leaders and supervisors to strengthen reflective practice and capability development.

  • Sector partners and funders to align expectations and reduce duplication.

The Framework, along with its accompanying Consultation Report can be found at the buttons below:

CYFSP Workforce Capability & learning Framework Report
Framework Consultation Report

Evaluation of the CYFSP Workforce Development and Training Committee and Fund

In 2025, the Youth Coalition of the ACT, in partnership with Families ACT, conducted an evaluation of the CYFSP Workforce Development and Training Committee and Fund. The evaluation report outlines the purpose, activities and outcomes of the CYFSP Workforce Development and Training Committee and Fund. The report examines how the Committee supports workforce capability, collaboration and effective use of training resources, and provides evidence to inform future planning, transparency and continuous improvement across the sector.

The full report is available here.

Background

Over the past 10 years Families ACT has made a priority of sector development, creating and auspicing a suite of tools (The Tools) for working with vulnerable and marginalised children and families. The sector has increasingly embraced these supports for practice, using the Practice Framework and Casework Reflective Tool (CRT) in a range of ways including for inducting new staff, structuring case discussions and evaluating practice. For more information about our suite of tools, please read our report. Please browse the list on the right for available sector development training and workshops including information on how to register.

Families ACT supports wider sector development through the CYFSP Workforce Development and Training (WDT) program which delivers training and support for practice to frontline workers and program managers in services funded under the ACT Government’s Child Youth and Family Services Program (CYFSP). Workforce development needs are assessed by a committee of representatives from CYFSP funded services. 

WDT Committee Members

As at March 2026

  • Carley Jones, ACT Playgroups

  • Travis Ngatuere, St Vincent de Paul

  • Thomas Stephens, Youth Coalition of the ACT

  • Rebecca Zappelli, Families ACT

  • Zakia Patel, Multicultural Hub Canberra & Regional NSW

  • Siobhan Cosgrave, Barnardos Australia.

If you would like to discuss workforce needs or suggest a training program to be funded, the first step is to discuss the idea with a member of the WDT committee listed above. They will be able to assist you to identify training that is in line with the current workforce needs, and complete an EOI form.

The WDT also supports the professional development of individuals employed in CYFSP funded programs through Individual Sponsorships. To apply for sponsorship for a training, conference or professional development opportunity visit the new WDT Smarty Grants portal available here.

You can also contact our CEO via email eo@familiesact.org.au to discuss your workforce training needs. For general information about the CYFSP Workforce Development & Training program, the WDT Committee Terms of Reference and Program Logic, please email cyfsp.training@act.gov.au.