The Dept provided a range of child safety and family support services to Western Australian individuals, children & their families. The Dept had an annual budget of $638 mil & employed 2,800 FTE. My appointment to this role coincided with a low economic cycle in WA, and so the fiscal environment was being increasingly pressured at a time when child protection notifications and the total number of children in Out of Home Care continued to grow, as did the demand for foster carers & family support services. There was increased community awareness of family and domestic violence, which also led to a significant growth in reports to the Department. The number of Aboriginal children entering care was growing at a much higher rate than non-Aboriginal children (6% v 1%).I initiated large scale reform and change in a complex organisation with diverse stakeholder groups within existing budget parameters, and developed formalised & accountable partnerships across government departments that delivery outcomes for individuals, families & community.KEY ACHIEVEMENTS:•New governance & operational structure across all WA service delivery Districts (approx 1600 FTE) to better align with strategic priorities of the Department and community need•Aboriginal Services & Practice Framework 2016-18 to support the Dept’s commitment to improve outcomes for Aboriginal children, families & communities who come into contact with the child protection system•Building Safe & Strong Families Earlier Intervention & Family Support Strategy and secured the additional resources to implement. This was launched after extensive consultation to provide a framework for a coordinated response between the Dept, other government agencies and the community sector•Better Care Better Services Out of Home Care 5-year reform plan through substantial consultation and co-design principles; including new needs assessment tool & integrated resources model linked to the individual needs & outcomes of children

I oversaw the Department’s service delivery across regional Western Australia, and was responsible for providing strategic direction, ensuring case practice standards and resource management of the Department’s nine regional districts. I contributed to the effective strategic management of the Department as a member of the Department’s Corporate Executive identifying, through community engagement, significant issues that might impact on service quality.Key achievements:• Provided strategic leadership in the development and implementation of key reforms (following the Ford Review 2007), such as implementation of Signs of Safety child protection framework; established cross agency child safety and youth at risk groups across the region; established family and domestic violence response teams and managed the implementation of new legislation, new budget parameters and a doubling of FTE.• Managed the delivered quality services and met performance targets across all outcomes areas within the geographical context of the District. • Led District-level continuous improvement, learning and standards monitoring activities.• Managed the District’s resources in line with financial ($2.5 mil), capital and human resource requirements (200 FTE). • Led local service integration with government and community sector agenciesIn addition to above achievements in the Kimberley I also;• Ensured a coordinated after-hours service response across the district for all six Kimberly towns. • Delivered quality therapeutic residential care across the Kimberley Region; total thirty-two beds / placements.