Providing strategic leadership to establish and maintain behaviour specialist services for schools across NSW.

Responsible for working with a team to implement Safeguarding Kids Together, a $24m Government commitment to build safe and resilient school communities by developing key relationships to mitigate and manage student high-risk taking behaviour impacting schools.Led a small team across attendance, wellbeing, community development, and senior education officers to provide strategic policy, practice, and systems support to mitigate and manage high risk-taking behaviour. Support was mapped to Strategic Improvement Plans and the School Excellence Framework. Pre and post data from 100 schools showed a median 30% reduction in student suspensions, an average 6% increase in student attendance, and 79% of principals reported an increase in reviewed policies. Invited as part of an expert panel for the department’s Quality Assurance of External Wellbeing Programs to assess the theme, behaviour, ensuring evidence-based programs will be delivered to schools in metropolitan, regional and remote locations via a range of delivery options.The Safeguarding Kids Together team received the Secretary’s Award for Disciplined Delivery.

Responsible and accountable for the management, leadership, and development of state-wide frameworks, policies, and innovative practices to support social inclusion, and positive school culture in NSW public schools.Developed, implemented, and evaluated the NSW Anti-bullying Strategy, across NSW education sectors, including the NSW anti-bullying website for students, staff and parents; a range of professional learning for parents and staff; revising and updating the department's Student Bullying Policy. Partnered with 18 national and international research to practice experts to ensure evidence-informed approaches and practices were utilised.Led development of the department’s Behaviour Strategy, obtaining endorsement from the department’s senior executive for the strategy to be a key department priority in 2020.Member of the Mobile Digital Devices Working Group working with system leaders and schools to draft policy and resources for the use of digital devices and online services across NSW public schools.Prepared the department’s response to a national Student Wellbeing Working Group forum in Canberra and worked on a small team to redevelop the Australian Student Wellbeing Framework.Invited to present at the World Anti-Bullying Forum 2019 in Ireland to share a systems approach to addressing student bullying.

Responsible and accountable for the management, leadership, and development of state-wide policies and innovative practices to support student behaviour in NSW public schools.Represented the NSW Education Minister on the national Safe and Supportive School Communities Working Group to address bullying, harassment, and violence in Australian schools.Coordinated policy advice for specialist education settings including behaviour schools, tutorial programs and suspension centres state-wide.Drafted and reviewed resources for the national Bullying. No Way! website and Office of the eSafety Commissioner to prevent and respond to student bullying in Australian schools. Redrafted operational guidelines for behaviour schools, tutorial programs and suspension centres aligned to good practice to guide the support of students with complex and challenging behaviour.Implemented recommendations of the NSW Ombudsman’s review into suspension and expulsion to strengthen school practice aligned to procedural fairness and the Work, Health and Safety Act.Coordinated regular state-wide meetings and professional learning to support Assistant Principals, Behaviour and Itinerant Support Teachers Behaviour to ensure schools were provided with evidence-informed practice to meet the diverse behaviour needs of their students.Implemented Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Training state-wide to enable all staff to safely manage aggressive and violent behaviours, using a crisis escalation model, as an advanced trainer and specialist trainer in Autism and Enhancing Verbal Skills. Coordinated state-wide training of specialist staff to deliver Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Training and provided regular state-wide meetings and communication to ensure program integrity, and address emerging issues.

Responsible for implementing and monitoring major reforms to student attendance due to amendments to the Education Act 1990 and the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection Act) 1998 in liaison with NSW education sectors, NSW TAFE, and the NSW Board of Studies.Worked with stakeholders across NSW education sectors to implement the attendance and child protection reform agenda for NSW schools, including, implementing a common NSW Attendance Code for all education sectors to enable compliance with legislative requirements.Coordinated professional learning for attendance officers and senior education officers to support practice.Redrafted the School Attendance Policy, developed new Guidelines for Exemptions from School and redrafted Ministerial delegations to enhance the oversight by directors and principals resulting in improved attendance rates across NSW public schools.Contributed as a member of the Minister’s Working Party on Aboriginal Attendance to identify practices to strengthen Aboriginal student attendance.

Led development of the student wellbeing component of the LMBR program in consultation with stakeholders and third-party providers to facilitate effective management of information related to student wellbeing, enrolment, health, attendance, behaviour, and disability.

Responsible for implementing the Government priority to establish 20 new suspension centres state-wide.Successfully rolled out the state-wide $13m government commitment of 20 new suspension centres.Presented as an invited expert from the Southern Hemisphere at the United States of America’s Crisis Prevention Institute Conference on an international panel addressing the needs of students with complex behaviour.

Worked in liaison with NSW Police Force to develop, implement, and monitor crime prevention initiatives to support at-risk students in NSW schools.

Provided supervision and support to volunteers and spectator services at the 2000 Olympics at the events, triathlon, equestrian, badminton and road cycling.