We warmly welcome you to our upcoming 2026 CPN Celebration Night & AGM . Join us from the comfort of your own home or gather your team together to join us online. A great opportunity for playgroup leaders, playgroup team members, and church or denominational leaders to find out more about how the CPN can support your Playgroup ministry, connect with others in a similar ministry context and be inspired to finish the year well.
Our guest speaker for the evening will be Natalie Walton and she will speak on Play, Connect, Belong: Creating Neurodiversity-Friendly Playgroups. Her presentation will explore simple ways to create playgroups where children can feel safe, understood and included, while supporting parents and caregivers with compassion and flexibility.
Natalie is a counsellor, child-centred play therapist, and social worker who feels privileged to spend her professional life supporting children and families. Many of the children she works with have neurodivergent brains, and she is passionate about helping families understand and appreciate their child’s unique way of experiencing the world. A significant part of her work involves considering what helps children feel safe, connected, and understood, both through their relationships with important people in their lives and through the environments in which they spend their time.
Natalie runs her private practice, Connecting in Play, in Ferntree Gully and has worked with children and families in the local community for many years. She is a Christian, married, and a mother of two children, aged 23 and 19. Outside of her professional work, her family, faith, and relationships with others are central to what she values most.