Community of Practice
The Better Futures Community of Practice (CoP) is an opportunity for Better Futures practitioners, DFFH, expert stakeholders, and the YEAG to come together to share knowledge and expertise.
Access the CoP
We’ve updated how you register for training sessions.
We no longer send Outlook calendar invites or emails — it’s now self-registration.
To sign up, just head to the Calendar page and register directly for any upcoming sessions that suit you.
Need help? Talk to your Team Leader or contact the Better Futures team.
Sessions overview
The CoP is held twice a year. Each event hosts four distinct sessions:
- Community Connector
- Network
- Workshop
- Leadership.
The agenda for each session reflects current trends and provides opportunities for practice reflection, sharing practice highlights and discussing challenges.
Community Connector
This session is tailored specifically for Better Futures Community Connectors. It aims to address system challenges, share innovative place-based practices and workshop practical solutions that promote opportunities to young people.
Network
The Network CoP is open to all Better Futures CoP members. It serves as a collaborative place for providers, stakeholder and Youth Expert Advisors to exchange insights on various topics, fostering connections and delivering key service development updates for Better Futures.
Workshop
The Workshop CoP is designed for Practice Champions from each CoP member organisation. Focused on practical advice, this session offers opportunities to explore practice and place-based solutions to challenges, with input from external experts on innovative practices and approaches.
Leadership
The Leadership CoP is most relevant to Managers and Team Leaders in Better Futures programs. It offers a platform to discuss fidelity to the Advantaged Thinking practice model, address service and operational challenges and collaborate on solutions with leaders across the state with direct access to DFFH and stakeholders.
What to expect
The Better Futures Community of Practice (CoP) is a voluntary offer to all practitioners working on Better Futures and supports practitioners to keep fidelity to the Advantaged Thinking model. The CoP meets twice a year to share learnings and examples of best practice and innovations to service development and design.
Our CoP events foster collaboration and connection among:
- Better Futures service providers across Victoria – all staff roles
- The DFFH Transitions from Care policy team
- Better Futures/Home Stretch Senior Project Officers
- Young people with a lived experience of transitioning from care
- Key sector stakeholders and partners.
Upcoming CoP events
Check the calendar for the next CoP event and contribute to shaping the future of the Better Futures service.
What You Say
Latest CoP resources
Can’t attend a CoP session? Catch up on what you missed with the Community of Practice resources for recordings and materials from past sessions
Working groups
Want to contribute to the ongoing development of the Better Futures service? Check out our upcoming working group topics and past work.
Frequently asked questions
Participants may be provided with pre-reading materials or guidelines to review before each session. This will be sent via email along with the session agenda.
After each CoP event, recordings and relevant materials will be available in the CoP resources section. Follow-up activities or discussions may also be scheduled based on the session outcomes.
We love hearing from you! To provide feedback or suggest topics for future CoP events, please reach out to us.
The good news is that there’s lots to choose from. You can:
• Explore the latest CoP microlearning, newsletter and recordings.
• Dip into the Advantaged Thinking Practice Framework and the 5 Offer Practice Guides.
• Sign up to our self-paced eModules or next online training session.
CoP members are encouraged to actively participate in sessions, share their insights, and collaborate with peers to enhance collective learning. For the Workshop session, organisations are encouraged to nominate a Practice Champion who can take learnings and actions back to their teams.
Being a CoP member not only provides access to bi-annual sessions but also offers networking opportunities with other providers, access to resources, participation in service development working groups and ongoing professional development and support from BSL.