Lead the Way Conference 2026

2–3 September 2026 | Melbourne and Online

Enduring Wisdom, Emerging Futures: Strength in What We Know, Co‑Creating What Comes Next

Lead the Way 2026 supports professionals working across education settings, schools, child, family, and community services to respond with clarity and integrity to an increasingly complex practice environment. The conference remains grounded in child and young person safety, workforce wellbeing, and meaningful outcomes, while engaging with futures already taking shape across systems and sectors.

Conference Theme

The Lead the Way Conference is for professionals working across education settings, schools, and child, family, and community services. The 2026 theme, Enduring Wisdom, Emerging Futures, recognises that our work is becoming increasingly complex while remaining fundamentally accountable for child and young person safety, workforce wellbeing, and meaningful outcomes.

The theme is grounded in a clear premise: sustainable progress towards improved child and staff safety and wellbeing outcomes depends on being precise about what we know works, deliberate in how we lead, and disciplined in how we translate knowledge into action. Enduring wisdom, in this context, is about drawing on research, evidence, evaluation, accumulated practice knowledge, and the lived experience of our children, young people, families, and communities.

This collective body of knowledge underpins the Understand stream of conference presentations, which deepen insights into child and staff safety, wellbeing, relationships, emotional intelligence, and trauma aware, ethical practice within the social, cultural, and system contexts shaping learning, care, and service delivery.

From this foundation, the conference focuses on how we Lead. This stream examines leadership practice, organisational culture, governance, and policy translation in the context of workforce pressures, increasing system integration, and rapid technological change. It supports leaders to align systems with values, make informed decisions under constraint, and create conditions that sustain wellbeing and accountability over time.

The Act stream concentrates on what actually changes outcomes. Through practical tools, programs, and case studies from schools, services, communities, and systems, it demonstrates how evidence, lived experience, and leadership intent translate into everyday practice. It clarifies what we are co creating: responsive and consistent practice, integrated systems, trauma aware cultures, and the conditions that enable high quality outcomes for children and families.

Across all three streams, Lead the Way 2026 engages with futures already taking shape, including workforce sustainability, the ethical integration of digital tools, increased inter agency collaboration, and the strengthening of trauma aware cultures. By intentionally linking understanding, leadership, and action, the conference supports participants to remain grounded in evidence and values while responding with clarity, confidence, and integrity to the evolving needs of children, families, communities, and the workforce.

Conference Presentation Streams

Understand – Why This Matters

The Understand stream deepens insight into child and staff safety, wellbeing, relationships, emotional intelligence, and trauma‑aware, ethical practice within social, cultural, and system contexts that shape learning, care, and service delivery.

Lead – How We Respond

Lead examines leadership practice, organisational culture, governance, and policy translation. Sessions address workforce pressure, system integration, and technological change, supporting leaders to align systems with values and sustain accountability over time.

Act – What Works in Practice

Act focuses on application. Through practical tools, programs, and case studies, presenters demonstrate how evidence and lived experience translate into everyday practice and measurable outcomes.

Program Overview

Day One – Wednesday 2 September

• Registration, arrival, and optional mindfulness session
• Welcome to Country, keynote presentation, and plenary discussion
• Five concurrent sessions across multiple time blocks
• Lunch and informal networking with entertainment
• Afternoon keynote presentation
• Evening networking event with food and refreshments

Day Two – Thursday 3 September

• Morning registration and optional mindfulness session
• Keynote presentation and facilitated discussion
• Five concurrent session rounds
• Structured lunch and informal networking
• Closing reflection and plenary session

Session Formats

The conference program includes multiple formats to support engagement, depth, and application.

• 30‑minute Spark Presentations – focused exploration of key ideas, evidence, research, or case studies
• 60‑minute Going Deeper Sessions – extended presentations with facilitated discussion and audience engagement
• Interactive Workshops (60 minutes) – hands‑on, skills‑based sessions demonstrating practical tools and approaches
• Panel Discussions – moderated conversations with multiple speakers and structured audience questions