Now that I have your attention - A correction to the date for Abstracts submissions - Friday 25 August 2017!

We are delighted to announce the dates of the next ATCA Conference – which will take place in Brisbane Australia from 31 October to 3 November 2017.

We extend an invitation to all our EFTC colleagues to attend.  Information will be posted on the ATCA website in the coming days, and registrations will be open this week.  There will be site visits to TCs on the Gold Coast (Goldbridge and Fairhaven), the Sunshine Coast (WHOS Najara) and Brisbane (Logan House and Moonyah) on Tuesday 31 November, followed by the conference program on Wednesday-Friday and concluding with interactive workshops on Friday afternoon (3 November).

A Call for Abstracts has now gone out and submissions close on Friday 25 August 2017 in the following themes:  

ATCA recognises that not all innovation comes from research but from the need to tackle a persistent problem, using creativity, imagination and ingenuity. If you have a story, message or anecdote to share, then we strongly encourage and invite you to share your work and ideas with us. Conference Themes include:

• TC practice: Partnerships for new ideas and new initiatives
• Cultural partnerships: working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Mãori and Pasifika peoples
• Working with Families: Family involvement in treatment, interventions for children affected by parental substance use and associated issues
• Continuing care: Re-thinking community partnerships
• Co-morbidity: Best practice for people with co-occurring AOD and mental health issues
• Corrective services and coerced clients: Working collaboratively with our partners in the justice system
• Attachment and Trauma: Interventions and recovery 

Applications will be assessed on the following criteria:

• The relevance of the abstract to the themes
• The validity of the evidence on which the presentation is based
• The implications for practitioners implementing the findings
• The relevance of innovative programmes to other practitioners in the field.

Presenters are required to register for the Australasian Therapeutic Communities Conference.

Presentation Types:

Oral Presentation: These will take place in chaired sessions and are 15 minutes in length plus 5 minutes question time.

Poster display: poster presentations are visual displays used to communicate a message i.e. research findings, program highlights, etc. Poster presenters will be provided with maximum coverage through dedicated poster sessions during which time presenters are required to stand by their posters. This provides an intimate forum for the exchange of information by allowing more personal discussion between presenter and audience.  Posters may be in a traditional format, or as a sort powerpoint presentation on a continuous loop on the presenter’s own laptop.

Participatory workshop: There is the opportunity for half-day workshops on Friday afternoon (3 November) to encourage the interactive transfer of skills and practical solutions to common problems or specific themes.

Project Snapshot: Each project snapshot will be allocated 10-minute oral presentation time with the use of audio-visual equipment if desired and four minutes of questions.

Seminar: Several presenters are encouraged to submit a group of abstracts on a specific topic and share a 90-minute presentation time as they explore the topic in depth. These sessions will be led by a facilitator.

Yarning Circle: The Circle will be permanently accessible as a Cultural Space as well as having times for organised sessions during the conference gathering. These sessions will be led by a main presenter, or group of presenters, and be approximately one hour in duration with the opportunity for multiple speakers on given themes.

Yarning is an informal conversation that is culturally friendly and recognised by Aboriginal people as meaning to talk about something, someone or provide and receive information (Dawn Bessarab, 2012).  In our conference context, it is a place where all people can have a casual or deep conversation about something or anything. The truth is always spoken in a yarning circle. Yarning circles are designed so that everyone has an opportunity to contribute in a safe and respectful setting. Our yarning circle will have a few main speakers to lead discussion however, all attendees are encouraged to participate in the conversation if they feel comfortable.

We look forward to seeing you in Australia for this event!

Kind Regards

Lynne

Dr Lynne Magor-Blatch

Executive Officer, Australasian Therapeutic Communities Association

Associate Professor, School of Psychology, University of Wollongong

Ph. 0422 904 040

PO Box 464

Yass NSW 2582

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www.atca.com.au

ATCA acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Custodians of

this country and its waters.  We wish to pay our respects to Elders past and present and this to all

Aboriginal people seeing this message.