It is with great pleasure that I invite you to attend the 10th Australian Institute of Family Studies Conference, Families Through Life, to be held in Melbourne between the 9th-11th July 2008.

This national event offers a forum for extensive debate surrounding a wide range of family issues that are of key relevance to researchers, policy makers and practitioners. It provides a platform for researchers to report findings from their family-related research and to contribute to ongoing discussions and provide policy input.

The Conference will focus on five major themes – Family Relationships; Children, Youth and Patterns of Care; Families and Work; Families and Community Life; and Violence and Protection Issues. These are the themes around which the Institute’s current work is organised. They are closely related to national policy priorities and areas of particular research interest. Within the framework of these broad themes there are sub-themes covering an extensive range of topics related to families that allows a broader scope for discussion. Although these areas are the focus of the conference, individual papers and symposia are not restricted solely to these themes.

We look forward to receiving your registration for the 10th Australian Institute of Family Studies Conference.

Professor Alan Hayes
Director, Australian Institute of Family Studies