Bringing community services in Western Sydney together during COVID-19 to provide information on priorities such as contractual impacts, service continuity, and service gaps and strategies.
Increasing access to information and sharing of tools and resources.
Panellist series for questions, answers and discussion via interactive online capabilities.
Youth-Related Violence: Are Young People the Problem or the Solution
In recent months, there have been growing concerns as reports of young people engaging in violent behaviours all over NSW, including Western Sydney. Issues like youth-related violence are commonly seen as a ‘young people’s problem’ and separate from the wider community.Join as our panel explores the intersectional nature of youth-related violence and appropriate responses that include young people, communities, and decision-makers.
Tuesday 16 November 2021
1.00pm
Jabs and Jobs-COVID-19 Vaccines in the NFP Industry
COVID-19 restrictions are due to be lifted in the coming weeks and this brings opportunity for more of the sector to work with community’s face to face. One of the critical issues facing workplaces is reducing the risk of workplace transmission of COVID-19, with vaccine mandates and the vaccination of staff being a key consideration for employers.
Join us as we discuss this and more with our panellists.
Thursday 7 October 2021
12.30pm
Hosted by Western Sydney Community Forum’s Tom Nance, Manager of Policy and Programs, with panellists:
Eleri Morgan-Thomas
Executive Director of Partnerships, Department of Communities and Justice
Dr Stephen Conaty
Deputy Controller PHRB, SWSLHD Public Health Unit, South Western Sydney LHD
Savi Manii
Manager, Justice Connect
Pillars of Resilience in Western Sydney – COVID19 Survival and Recovery
Greater Western Sydney continues to be in the spotlight as NSW manages the health, social and economic impacts of COVID-19.
We ask our panel to share their insights on the pillars of resilience and strength, including the central role of local place based trusted community leaders, groups and organisations.
Join us as we discuss this and the policy and service strengths that will assist families and communities in greater Western Sydney at the moment.
Thursday 2 September 2021
2.00pm
Hosted by Western Sydney Community Forum’s Billie Sankovic, Chief Exective Officer of Western Syndey Community Forum, with panellists:
The Hon. Alister Henskens MP
Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services
Melissa Monteiro
Chief Executive Officer, Community Migrant Resource Centre
Prof. Jioji Ravulo
Professor & Chair of Social Work and Policy Studies, University of Sydney
COVID-19: Supporting Community Leaders during COVID-19
Community leaders have been tirelessly stepping up during the latest outbreak, helping to spread public health messaging regarding restrictions and vaccinations across the region.
As the lockdown continues, it is critical that these leaders are supported by the broader sector. Join us as we ask our panel to share their expertise regarding what works when engaging with and supporting leaders in the community, and how organisations can play a key role.
Thursday 19 August 2021
2.00pm
Hosted by Western Sydney Community Forum’s Billie Sankovic, Chief Exective Officer of Western Syndey Community Forum, with panellists:
Randa Kattan
Chief Executive Officer, Arab Council of Australia
Om Dhungel
Founding President and Senior Advisor, Association of Bhutanese in Australia (Sydney)
Dr Cen Amores
Founding President, Alliance of Philippine Community Organisations Inc
COVID-19: Service Continuity and Contractual Impacts
With the re-emergence of COVID-19 there are plenty of issues to consider for organisations regarding their contractual obligations and the impact that the pandemic will have on their service delivery.
Join us as we hear from representatives from the Department of Communities and Justice at head and district office levels.
Wednesday 4 August 2021
11.30am
Hosted by Western Sydney Community Forum’s Tom Nance, Manager of Policy and Programs, with panellists:
Eleri Morgan-Thomas
Executive Director Partnerships, Department of Communities and Justice
Daniel Barakate
Director, Commissioning and Planning, South Western Sydney District, Department of Communities and Justice
Jo Carlisle
Manager, Commissioning & Planning, Western Sydney, Nepean Blue Mountains District, Department of Communities and Justice
COVID-19: Lessons from South West Sydney
South West Sydney has been in the spotlight in the past few weeks due to high prevalance of COVID cases in this area and the impact this has had on its communities.
As strict restrictions spread from South West Sydney across the region, we ask our panel to share their insights regarding the impact on the communities they are working with, what they learnt over the past few weeks and what we need to do to respond effectively.
Join us as we unpack the insights of three speakers supporting our community during this time.
Tuesday 27 July 2021
1.30pm
Hosted by Western Sydney Community Forum’s Tom Nance, Manager of Policy and Programs, with panellists:
Esta Paschalidis-Chilas
Canterbury Bankstown – Canterbury City Community Centre
John Gilmore
Fairfield – Community First Step
Nadia Bouchti
Liverpool – Western Sydney Migrant Resource Centre
Social Impact of Loneliness in COVID-19
The potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on population mental health is of increasing global concern. For women, young people, those living in one-person households and those with preschool aged children the situation has been reported to be far worse. In this live panel we ask the question has our mental health deteriorated in COVID-19- and urgently, what do we need to respond?
Join our host, David Hill, Policy and Programs, as we explore the views of three speakers supporting our community during this time.
Tuesday 3 November 2020
2.00pm
Hosted by Western Sydney Community Forum’s David Hill, Policy and Programs, with panellists:
Rachel Bowes
Lifeline
Clr Charishma Kaliyanda
Liverpool City Council
Judy Harper
Red Cross
Responding to Gambling Harm in COVID-19
Every day $18.7 million is lost through poker machines in New South Wales. NSW has over 92,000 poker machines representing over 30% of the world’s non-casino pokies.
In this panel, our host Tom Nance asks; is gambling harm a public health issue and do we need our political leaders to take action? Join us to learn more about how communities in Western Sydney are impacted by gambling harm and how the community services sector can respond.
Thursday 22 October 2020
2.00pm
Hosted by Western Sydney Community Forum’s Tom Nance, Manager Policy and Programs, with panellists:
Rev Tim Costello
Ethical Voice
Chief Advocate Alliance for Gambling Reform
Dr Kate Da Costa
NSW Campaign Manager
Alliance for Gambling Reform
Dr Anastasia Hronis
Clinical Psychologist
Australian Institute for Human Wellness
Getting It Right for People Living with Dementia in COVID-19
COVID-19 has exposed some of the vulnerabilities experienced by older people in our communities. In recent years, reforms to Australia’s aged care system as well as our rapidly ageing populations in Western Sydney demonstrate just how important it is to ‘get it right’ in our services to older people, especially those living with dementia.
In our upcoming livestream, our host Billie Sankovic, Western Sydney Community Forum’s Chief Executive, asks: are people living with dementia best supported in community settings? How can we rethink approaches to dementia care? Join us to hear what is happening at both policy and practice levels and let’s get it right so that people living with dementia have a say in determining their own lives.
Wednesday 7 October 2020
1.00pm
Hosted by Western Sydney Community Forum’s Billie Sankovic, CEO, with panellists:
Angelique O’Flynn
Dementia Clinical Nurse Consultant | WS LHD | Integrated and Community Health
Dr Gaynor Macdonald
Social Anthropologist and Dementia Care Consultant
Dementia Reframed Inc
John Krisenthal
Managing Director
365 Care
Still Seen But Not Heard? Children’s Spaces, Children’s Design
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse found that organisations have failed to keep children and young people safe in their care. Some common findings that contributed to this include; poor practices, inadequate governance structures, failures to record and report complaints and organisational cultures where the best interests of children were not a priority.
In today’s session we ask the questions – do children have the right to collaborate in how spaces and policy responses that affect them are designed? How has COVID-19 changed things for kids and can we do better as a sector?
Join us as our host Tom Nance, Western Sydney Community Forum’s Manager Policy and Projects, explores the perspectives of our diverse panel.
Wednesday 23 September 2020
2.00pm
Hosted by Western Sydney Community Forum’s Tom Nance, Manager Policy and Programs, with panellists:
Blake Tatafu
Partnerships Officer
Kimberwalli : Aboriginal Affairs
Maia Giordano
Child Friendly Community Facilitator
Blacktown City Council
Dr. Girish Lala
Research Fellow
Western Sydney University Young and Resilient Research Centre
Is Poverty Inevitable in a COVID19 World?
The Coronavirus Supplement prevented 2.2 million people around Australia from falling into poverty. As we prepare for life in our next recession, social welfare practitioners in Western Sydney are preparing to support those most impacted. A social justice framework urges us to consider – is poverty inevitable, or entirely preventable?
Join us as our host Anita Hanna, Western Sydney Community Forum’s Manager Policy and Projects, explores the perspectives of our diverse panel.
Wednesday 9 September 2020
1.00pm
Hosted by Western Sydney Community Forum’s Anita Hanna, Manager Policy and Programs, with panellists:
Beverly Baker
Chairperson
Older Women’s Network
Pas Forgione
Campaign Manager Raise the Rate for Good
ACOSS
Patricia Hall
CEO
Liverpool Neighbourhood Connections
Second Chances through Social Enterprise
Meaningful employment is an indicator of good health. Access to work is a universal human right.
For far too many members of our communities in Western Sydney, the barriers to gaining work seem impossible to overcome. During the COVID-19 outbreak the challenges seem even greater.
Join our host, Nadiana Albistur, Policy and Programs, Western Sydney Community Forum and our panel to explore how starting a social enterprise – and supporting local start-ups – has been a solution to this systemic issue in Western Sydney.
Thursday 27 August 2020
2.00pm
Hosted by Western Sydney Community Forum’s Nadiana Albistur, Policy and Programs, with panellists:
Joe Kwon
Founder and Director
ConFit
Marlowe Mackenzie
Head of Operations
Catalysr
Natalie Wilgress
Cafe Manager
Common Groundz Cafe Lalor Park
The Impact of International Crises on Local Communities
Settling in Australia is marked with hope for a new life, and fraught with challenges for communities displaced by war and other disasters. How are communities in Western Sydney managing the impact of ongoing strife, struggle – and now the COVID-19 pandemic – in places they consider home?
Join our panel to explore how international humanitarian crises affect cultural communities in Western Sydney as our host, Anita Hanna, Manager Policy and Programs asks some hard-hitting questions around current policy responses and available support.
Thursday 20 August 2020
3.00pm
Hosted by Western Sydney Community Forum’s Anita Hanna, Manager Policy and Programs, with panellists:
Juliana Nkrumah, AM
DFV Project Manager
Settlement Services International
Lina Ishu
Youth Program Team Leader
NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS)
Shukufa Tahiri
Policy Analyst
Refugee Council of Australia
Essential: On the Frontlines of Social Work in Greater Western Sydney during C-19
Is the community sector receiving the support essential workers need during the COVID-19 outbreak? Our panel explores the policy and practice implications of the pandemic for frontline social workers in Greater Western Sydney.
Join our host Billie Sankovic, CEO Western Sydney Community Forum as we explore how community services in Greater Western Sydney are using innovative approaches to grapple with protecting staff health, wellbeing and labour rights.
Thursday 13 August 2020
1.00pm
Hosted by Western Sydney Community Forum’s Billie Sankovic, CEO, with panellists:
Kamalle Dabboussy
CEO
Western Sydney Migrant Resource Centre
Kath Harrison
CEO
Belong Blue Mountains
Stacey Stynes
Refuge Team Leader
CORE Community Services
Digital Access and Digital Literacy in the COVID-19 Economy
In the COVID-19 economy we are told that the future of work and study is here, but does the future look the same for everyone? What role does digital access and literacy play in how well Western Sydney will recover in a post-C19 economy – and what can we do about it?
Join us as our host Anita Hanna, Western Sydney Community Forum, explores the perspectives of our diverse panel.
Tuesday 4 August 2020
2.00pm
Hosted by Western Sydney Community Forum’s Anita Hanna, Manager Policy and Projects, with panellists:
Abdallah Altibi
Multicultural Youth Worker
Multicultural Youth Affairs Network (NSW)
Bec Reidy
Centre Coordinator
Bidwill Uniting
Jane Stratton
CEO
Think+Do Tank
COVID-19 in Western Sydney: Priorities and Perspectives
What should be Western Sydney’s focus as we move towards the recovery phase of COVID-19? How can we put our communities at the heart of this?
Join us as our host Dr Andy Marks, Western Sydney Community Forum’s Chair and Assistant Vice-Chancellor at Western Sydney University, explores the perspectives of our diverse panel.
Thursday 16 July 2020
2.00pm
Hosted by Western Sydney Community Forum Chair, Dr Andy Marks, Assistant Vice-Chancellor at Western Sydney University, with panellists:, with panellists:
Jihad Dib MP
Shadow Minister for Skills and TAFE, Shadow Minister for Youth, Shadow Minister for Juvenile Justice, and Shadow Minister Assisting on Multiculturalism
Member for Lakemba
Helen O’Loughlin
Social Commissioner
Greater Sydney Commission
Professor Sev Ozdowski OAM AM
Director of Equity and Diversity
Western Sydney University
Domestic and Family Violence in the context of COVID-19
CWorkers are reporting that domestic violence is again escalating as COVID-19 social isolation measures begin to ease.
Join our host Billie Sankovic, Chief Executive Officer of Western Sydney Community Forum, as our three expert panellists focus on trends that have emerged during the pandemic and what services have done to respond accordingly.
Tuesday 7 July 2020
2.00pm
Hosted by Western Sydney Community Forum’s Manager of Policy and Programs, Billie Sankovic, with panellists:
Tanya Whitehouse
Coordinator,
Macarthur Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service
Christine Robinson
Coordinator,
Wirringa Baiya Aboriginal Women’s Legal Centre
Hayley Foster
Chief Executive Officer,
Women’s Safety NSW
How organisations can support communities to ‘bounce back’ after COVID-19
Community organisations have the opportunity to play a key role in not only the crisis response to COVID-19, but also the community recovery post-pandemic. Join Anita Hanna, Manager of Policy and Programs at Western Sydney Community Forum, as our three expert panellists focus on resilience and recovery in communities, and ways in which organisations can build community capacity as we begin to see restrictions ease.
Wednesday 24 June 2020
2.00pm
Hosted by Western Sydney Community Forum’s Manager of Policy and Programs, Anita Hanna, with panellists:
Prof Jim Ife
Professor of Social Work,
Western Sydney University
Alison Morgan
Senior Public Servant,
Resilience NSW
Ken Zulumovski
Managing Director,
Gamarada Universal Indigenous Resources
COVID-19: Moving your organisation to the next phase
As restrictions start to ease, not-for-profit organisations will have to deal with the challenge of whether to return to ‘business as usual’. Join Tom Nance, Manager of Policy and Programs at Western Sydney Community Forum, as he explores the experiences of three organisational leaders, insights that have emerged and their thoughts regarding the ‘scaling up’ of operations in line with government policy.
Wednesday 17 June 2020
2.00pm
Hosted by Western Sydney Community Forum’s Manager of Policy and Programs, Tom Nance, with panellists:
Melissa Monteiro
Chief Executive Officer,
Community Migrant Resource Centre
Stephanie Oatley
Chief Executive Officer,
Platform Youth Services
Tairyn Vergara
Chief Executive Officer,
The Parks Community Network
Innovation in Working with Older People Since COVID19’s Emergence
There has needed to be significant shifts within organisations working with older people since COVID19 emerged. Join us as we discuss the insights that have emerged and innovation demonstrated by organisations during these challenging times.
Wednesday 3 June 2020
2.00pm
Hosted by Western Sydney Community Forum’s Manager of Policy and Programs, Tom Nance, with panellists:
Professor Jane Mears
Associate Professor Social Policy,
Western Sydney University
Cecily Michaels
Chief Executive Officer,
LEEP
Mary Bills
Project Officer, Aged Care System Navigator
COTA NSW
Liveability during COVID19 and beyond
COVID19 has had a profound impact on liveability, both globally and in Western Sydney. Our panellists discuss the trends that are emerging within the communities that they are working with and what some of the priorities for liveability could look like post-COVID19.
Tuesday 26 May 2020
2.00pm
Hosted by Western Sydney Community Forum Chair Dr Andy Marks, Assistant Vice-Chancellor at Western Sydney University, with panellists:
Dare Kavanagh
Regional Manager of Social Sustainability (NSW, WA and ACT)
LendLease
Dr Eddie Jackson
Director, City Community and Culture
Liverpool City Council
Heather Chaffey
Divisional Manager Sustainable Communities
Wentworth Community Housing
COVID19: What could a youth-led recovery look like?
Now is an opportune time to listen to our community’s young leaders and to support and enable them to lead.
Thursday 21 May 2020
4.30pm
Join our moderator, Natalie Chiappazzo, Service Provision Manager at Blacktown Youth Services Association and Western Sydney Community Forum Board Member, as she talks to three young people from the community about the impacts of COVID19 and the role that young people can play in leading the recovery.
Close the Gap during COVID19:
First Peoples Resilience in Tough Times
First Nations Australians leading the response to COVID19. Strengths of First Nations organisations when it comes to protecting their communities – what can we share? The role of agencies and institutions in providing appropriately informed and culturally safe care to First Nations Australians during and post COVID19.
Thursday 7 May 2020
3.00pm
Hosted by Western Sydney Community Forum’s Ken Zulumovski Hon DHSc from Gamarada Universal Indigenous Resources, with panellists:
Uncle Darryl Wright
Chief Executive Officer, Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation
Ms. Melissa Williams
Chief Executive Officer, Gandangara Local Aboriginal Land Council
Associate Professor Megan Williams
Research Lead & Assistant Director, National Centre for Cultural Competence, University of Sydney
Visioning the future of Western Sydney post COVID-19
What is the pathway to access, fairness and equity? Could this be the time to genuinely address socio-spatial polarisation? Will ‘business as usual’ build and sustain community wellbeing? How do we collectively progress employment, housing, services and more – in a socially, economically and environmentally healthier future?
Wednesday 29 April 2020
11.00 am
Hosted by Western Sydney Community Forum’s Chief Executive Officer, Billie Sankovic with panellists:
Dr. Andy Marks
Assistant Vice-Chancellor Western Sydney University
& Chair Western Sydney Community Forum
Ms. Natalie Chiappazzo
Manager Blacktown Youth Services Association
& Secretary Western Sydney Community Forum
Mr. Ben Jackson
Chief Executive Officer Great Community Transport
& Treasurer Western Sydney Community Forum
Leading an Organisation through the COVID-19 Crisis
What is important for a Western Sydney community services organisation to get through the COVID-19 pandemic? How to frame a response? What are the key workforce issues? How to get a digital response right?
And More
Thursday 23 April 2020
2.00 pm
Hosted by Western Sydney Community Forum’s Clare Babbage with panellists:
Katriina Tahka
Chief Executive Officer, A Human Agency
Cindy Lenferna de la Motte
Head of Customer and Community, Harvest Digital Planning
Angela Haynes
Head of Restructuring Services, KPMG Greater Western Sydney
Navigating and Understanding the Australian Government’s
COVID-19 Support for Community Services
What do the stimulus packages mean and how do I activate support?
How does this additional funding help me to keep our service and agency afloat, and pay for any additional costs or losses incurred?
How do I access the job keeper payment to support our staff and workforce?
And More
Wednesday 8 April 2020
10.00 am
Hosted by Western Sydney Community Forum’s David Hill with panellists:
Kirsten Forrester
Chief Executive Officer, Accounting for Good
Theo Psychogios
Partner, Financial Advisory, Deloitte
Michael Mekhitarian
Director, ATB Partners
Contractual Impacts and Service Continuity
Interactive discussion with the NSW Department of Communities and Justice
Thursday 2 April 2020
2.00 pm
Hosted by Western Sydney Community Forum’s Billie Sankovic with NSW Department of Communities and Justice panellists:
Eleri Morgan-Thomas
Executive Director Partnerships, Strategy, Policy & Commissioning
Claudia Vianello
Director Commissioning & Planning, Western Sydney & Nepean Blue Mountains Districts
Maria Kissouri
Director Commissioning & Planning, South Western Sydney District