Prato International May 2026 Gathering

The May 2026 Gathering at Monash University's Prato Campus, saw 38 researchers from 10 different countries join together for four days of collaboration and strategic discussion to progress the research field of family mental health. As many of the established workgroups were finalising existing projects, an opportunity to identify future directions presented and we grounded our planning in the experience
and wisdom of founding members of the collaborative.

A key focus this year was engagement with and inclusion of new members and researchers from countries and/or populations that are currently under-represented in our Collaborative. In the absence of sustained resourcing, we reflected on how we can build on our existing structures including the website and the online Seminar Series to reach broader audiences and facilitate dissemination, implementation and translation of our research findings in health, community, education, perinatal and child, parent and family settings.

We realise this work is relational and comments from members recorded on the evaluation survey eloquently capture the tone of the gathering. One member described the event as "full of information, (with) much communication (and) passion!" while another appreciated the "conversations, the warmth and respect, the provocations to think differently"