World Care Day Event

Panelists: Dr. Georgina Dimopoulos, Tash Anderson, Kathryn Joy, Associate Professor Tim Moore, Pearl Goodwin Burns, Ruby Sait, and Zac Campbell.

Overview

This event showcased the power of lived experience in shaping meaningful change for care-experienced young people. Hosted by the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare’s OPEN, as part of Monash University’s World Care Day Festival of Events, the discussion brought together researchers, advocates, and care-experienced individuals to explore how evidence-based research and lived experience can drive change in policy, practice, and education.

Key Messages

Lived Experience in Research, Policy, and Practice

From the perspective of Lived experience advocates, Tash Anderson and Kathryn Joy:

• Lived experience is not just included but embedded in research, policy, and decision-making. With systems designed through meaningful collaboration with the voices of those they impact most.
• Engagement must be more than just a seat at the table. Care-experienced young people are often consulted too late in the process. True inclusion means those with lived-experience help shape policies, projects, and programs from the very start.

• Flexibility is essential. Young people navigating work, study, and life challenges need engagement opportunities that allow them to step in and out as needed. Organisations must provide multiple ways to participate to ensure accessibility.
• Power imbalances must be dismantled. Professionals are often paid for their contributions, while young people are asked to share deeply personal insights for free. Remuneration must reflect the value of lived experience as expertise.

“Remuneration isn’t just about money—it’s about valuing our expertise in the same way you value any other expertise in the sector.” – Tash Anderson

• Safe spaces and emotional support matter. Sharing lived experience can be deeply personal and exhausting. Organisations must prioritise trauma-informed, supportive environments that acknowledge the emotional toll of advocacy.
• Trust and transparency take time. Meaningful engagement cannot be rushed. As Kathryn described it, real collaboration must “move at the speed of trust.”

From the perspective of researchers engaging with lived experience, Dr. Georgina Demopoulos, Associate Professor of Law at Southern Cross University, and Associate Professor Tim Moore, chief co-editor of the Children Australia journal:

• Young people must be included in shaping research from the outset, not be consulted later.
• Flexible and supportive research environments are essential for true co-design with care-experienced individuals, who often juggle complex responsibilities.

• Traditional research structures must shift to treat lived experience as expertise, not just a subject of study.
• Strengths focused orientation is key, reshaping narratives around care-experienced young people—moving beyond their challenges to highlight their strengths, resilience, and aspirations.
• To ensure authenticity, care-experienced individuals must be actively involved in research design, analysis, and publication, ensuring their stories are told on their own terms rather than filtered through external interpretations.

“We must challenge outdated narratives about young people in care and ensure that research reflects their strengths and aspirations.” – Tim Moore

Education as a Pathway Forward with Raising Expectations

The Centre’s Raising Expectations program provides support to break down barriers for care-experienced young people, to improve access to higher education. Since its launch, the program has grown from 43 students in 2015 to over 1,273 in 2024, offering mentorship, financial aid, and academic support to create more equitable access to tertiary education.

Ruby Sait, a Raising Expectations participant and current team member, powerfully shared her journey from out-of-home care to completing a Bachelor of Communications at Deakin University.

Key insights from Ruby:

• Representation and visibility matter. Many care-experienced young people don’t see university as an option because they don’t see others like them succeeding in higher education.
• Mentorship and community support make a difference. Having people who understand their experiences helps students navigate university life.
• Breaking stereotypes is essential. Programs like Raising Expectations challenge low expectations and empower young people to reach their full potential.

“Seeing is believing—you need to see the support to believe that you can succeed.” – Ruby

Moving Forward with Meaningful Change

The event reinforced that care-experienced young people must be at the centre of decision-making, not just consulted but leading change. Moving forward, the focus must be on elevating their voices into leadership, removing systemic barriers, and valuing lived experience as expertise. True inclusion requires action, ensuring their insights shape policies, research, and opportunities in meaningful ways.

Speakers:

Tash Anderson

Tash is a passionate lived experience advocate for children and young people who have experienced family violence and who have been through the out-of-home care system.

Kathryn Joy (they/them)

Kathryn is a community organiser, activist and advocate in social movement spaces, with particular engagement in children’s rights, LGBTQIA+ justice, prison abolition and transformative justice. They work as a family homicide researcher at The University of Melbourne, and in 2024, ‘KillJoy’, a documentary about their childhood and life as a victim-survivor of domestic homicide, was released on Stan.

• More on Kathryn’s work with the University of Melbourne here
• Research articles here
• Stan’s KillJoy documentary here

Dr Georgina Dimopoulos

Dr Georgina Dimopoulos is one of Australia’s leading socio-legal researchers on children’s rights and participation in family law. She is an Associate Professor of Law and a Research Associate of the Centre for Children and Young People at Southern Cross University.

• Hear from Dr Georgina in our Voices for Change event here
• Find out more about Dr Georgina’s work here here
• See the CHANGE Children’s Feedback tool here

Tim Moore

Associate Professor Tim Moore is Deputy Director of the Institute for Child Protection Studies, Australian Catholic University, and co-Editor-in-Chief of Children Australia. Tim is an internationally recognised child and youth researcher and children’s rights advocate.

Pearl Goodwin Burns (She/her)

Pearl (she/her) is the Senior Manager of Education and Program Manager for Raising Expectations. Pearl has worked alongside care-experienced people and lived experience experts as a social worker, research assistant, and in direct student support roles to support more equitable access and success in education.

Zac Campbell (he/him)

Zac (he/him) is the Senior Project Officer for Raising Expectations. Previously, Zac has worked in a number of roles supporting young people in care from community-based outreach to case management and direct support in residential care.

Ruby Sait (She/they)

Ruby is a passionate advocate who leverages their lived experiences and journalism background to empower marginalised care-experienced youth and drive systemic change.