INNATE Conference

The INNATE conference is hosted by the Western Sydney Infant and Young Child Feeding (WSIYCF) Collaborative.

The WSIYCF collaborative brings together the expertise of an interdisciplinary team of researchers and clinicians with a shared vision to ensure infants and young children, their parents and carers, thrive through optimal nutrition in nurturing environments, locally and globally.

The first 2000 days, from conception, is a critical period for growth and development, and a period when diet quality is more important than at other stages of life. The nutritional needs of infants and young children are unique, and important in laying down the foundations of healthy growth and development. The wide-ranging benefits of exclusive breastfeeding to six months for a child’s healthy immune system, brain development and microbiome are well known. Thereafter, children should be given nutritious complementary foods and continue breastfeeding up to the age of two years and beyond.  

Our values are:

1. Parent and child-centred practice - our projects and initiatives place infants, children, mothers, fathers, parents, carers and their communities at the centre of research and clinical initiatives.
2. Culturally appropriate, trauma-informed care - delivered by a responsive health system and well-trained health care staff. 
3. Partnership and co-design - working alongside parents, families and communities to co-design solutions.  
   
4. Equitable access to services and support - with a purposeful focus on disadvantage and adversity. 
5. Local solutions with a strong global reach - current projects are grounded in contemporary local and global issues identifying and testing realistic, accessible solutions for the most at-need groups.