Safeguarding the Future conference

Safeguarding the future conference banner

A two-day conference exploring what it means to safeguard the future of a family member with disability.

Our society tends to shy away from discussing the one certainty in life: our inevitable demise. It is a sensitive topic that often stirs up strong, uncomfortable emotions, and people usually want to avoid it.

And yet, we find our thoughts sometimes drifting to those terrifying questions:

  • How can I be sure my family member with disability will remain safe, loved, and working toward their goals if I am no longer around?
  • What do I need to put in place now to safeguard their future?
  • Who can I trust to support my family member to make decisions?

It’s not our intention to cause anyone discomfort. However, we do believe that initiating and encouraging conversations about what preparations we need to have in place for our loved ones, with or without disability, can better safeguard their future.

Safeguarding is a conversation we think is important to have, no matter how old you and your loved one are. It’s as critical to safeguard the future of a very young person as it is for an adult.

This is why we held the Safeguarding the Future conference in May 2024.

We invited speakers from Australia and across the globe to talk about

  • Vision building and vision keeping
  • Safeguarding for all ages
  • Supported decision making
  • Moving out of an institutional setting and creating a home of one’s own
  • Safeguarding in hospital settings
  • Building networks and strengthening freely given relationships
  • Circles of support
  • Wills, trusts, and guardianship
  • Employment
  • And much more.

Jump down the page to see details of the conference presenters 

Take a look at the conference schedule

Three brilliant pre-conference webinars

The three pre-conference webinars set the scene beautifully for the main conference. These sessions included

  • Janet Klees | Decision-making in everyday life
  • Jo Massarelli and Cathy Ludlum | Medical safeguarding: Addressing vulnerability in medical settings
  • Darcy Elks|  Now is the time for vision

Feedback from our conference attendees

Here are some lovely things that attendees said about our Safeguarding the Future conference.

“A brilliant two days filled with opportunities for family networking, capacity building and information to support people with disability to live a valued life.”

“I am going home re-energised to see my daughter’s future in a much more positive light.”

“A wonderful opportunity to think deeply about our present situation and the challenges of the future. Inspiring, practical and supportive.”

“A great opportunity to learn. A fantastic place to network with people who have similar lived experience. I walk away with so many ideas.”

“I loved this conference. It was an amazing meeting of the minds.”

Conference presentations