Portable

More than 250,000 Australians have been impacted by forced adoption. One of the privileges of co-design is the raw and meaningful conversations that the team gets to facilitate and lead using trauma-informed principles. This project with Department of Social Services (DSS) will forever be meaningful to the Portable team that worked on it, along with our partners who participated with beautiful care and consideration; NGNY - Ngakkan Nyaagu, Blue Knot Foundation, PUR Production, Forced Adoption Support Services and our specialised advisory group. If you would like to read the case study, please follow the link below. This is a very distressing topic, and the content may be emotionally challenging. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gS7ceJUW

Get yourself a senior leadership team who gets along like this. Working in impact spaces can be as draining and demanding as it is rewarding. The senior leadership team works hard to make sure the whole team gets the same level of care we aim to hold for our clients and end users. We hope you all find time to have a break and a laugh over the next couple weeks. We'll see you back here in the new year, ready to innovate and create impact with you.

"I’m a proponent of a free and open internet, however what’s clear is that we’re no longer dealing with the internet but proprietary platforms that have been left to police themselves but have failed to deploy their money into the many aspects of consumer safety that exist in an online ecosystem." Andrew Apostola on designing for the social media ban. Read the full article through this link 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eb4UirpW

Recently Portable's Joanne Osbourne-Taylor designed and facilitated co-design workshops with Juno and the Women's Housing Alliance, focusing on service responses to gendered homelessness and housing stress. The work Juno and WHA are doing is incredibly meaningful and we're grateful to be a part of it. We look forward to sharing more about the process and insights gained.

Episode 2: Grace and Carla—Understanding Triggers in Forced Adoption Conversations This week’s episode focuses on Grace and Carla’s interaction, offering a powerful look at the emotional complexity surrounding forced adoption. Grace, a survivor of forced adoption, is caught off guard by Carla’s seemingly innocent remark while unpacking groceries. Carla’s excitement about her sister becoming a foster carer takes an unexpected turn when she adds a thoughtless comment: “I don’t understand how a parent could abandon their child like that.” For Grace, those words hit like a freight train, reopening deep wounds tied to her own forced adoption experience. Her reaction? Anger, grief, and a sudden wave of painful memories—society’s judgment, her ongoing sense of loss, and the moral stigma she was made to bear. This episode reminds us of the harm assumptions about adoption can cause. Forced adoption isn’t about parents “abandoning” their children. Many mothers had no choice—children were taken, not given away. Through Grace’s story, we’re asked to challenge stereotypes and approach conversations about adoption with empathy and care. Understanding the impact of language and assumptions is essential in creating a more compassionate world for those affected by forced adoption practices. 🎥 Watch the full module learning and join us in learning how to navigate these conversations with kindness and respect. (link in comments) The project was in partnership with Department of Social Services (DSS) and Portable #Storytelling #TraumaInformedCare #ForcedAdoption #EmpathyInAction

Proud to share Portable's work on Trauma-Informed Training on Forced Adoption in Australia. This project is a meaningful step in supporting those impacted by forced adoptions and ensuring that professionals across various sectors are equipped with the knowledge and sensitivity to respond with care. Through collaboration, thoughtful design, and a human-centred approach, we've helped create resources that enable deeper understanding and genuine empathy—critical for addressing the profound and lasting effects of forced adoption. I’m incredibly proud of the Portable team for their dedication to this important work. It's projects like these that remind me why we do what we do—using design and technology to create real impact in people's lives. Check out more about the project here: https://lnkd.in/g75ZbBZK #HumanCentredDesign #TraumaInformedCare #PortableAustralia #SocialImpact

Learn with us in 2025! Our intimate and hands on trainings are designed specifically for tailored capability uplift. Learn from our facilitators and each other! View courses and 2025 dates here: https://lnkd.in/gEqrhiKM

A lot of trust and care goes into co-designing, especially around such traumatic experiences like those that can happen with forced adoption. We hope these training modules can be one piece of a larger step towards helping those impacted and effected.

Last week we held our end of year All In, where we gather to connect, plan and reflect. One extra special part of the All In is the tradition of "Bookmas". Simon Goodrich and Becky Leonhardt hit North Melbourne Books and find a meaningful book for every person in the business. Enjoy some behind the scenes of Bookmas this year, and remember your local bookstore if you're in need of a special present.

Bean 🫘 🫶