Shaping the Future Today is a specialist conference reviewing the national COAG initiative for Young People in Nursing Homes.  

Over 6,700 young Australians with acquired disabilities live in aged care nursing homes across the country because the supports they need to do not exist and in February 2006, the Council Of Australian Governments (COAG) announced a limited 5 year program to begin addressing the Young People In Nursing Homes (YPINH) issue. 

This initiative has been underway for some 2 years in all states and territories of the Commonwealth and is approaching the mid point of its life.  Shaping the Future Today is taking this opportunity to:

• reflect on what has been achieved thus far; 
• establish how this has influenced the development of best practice in support and accommodation services nationally; and 
• determine what remains to be done in the final 3 years of the initiative’s life.   

Shaping the Future Today offers stakeholders the chance to establish answers to these questions in a spirit of collaboration and partnership that crosses borders and jurisdictions.

Concept mapping techniques will be used to engage stakeholders and gauge their views on the initiative’s implementation thus far. This process begins with registration where stakeholders will be asked to provide a considered response to a key question.

These responses will be collated and will provide the departure point for discussion on Day 1 of the conference.