Current Board members
As at 13 November 2007, the Families Australia Board comprises the following 10 members, most of whom represent major community sector organisations in their own right:
Sandie de Wolf - Child and Family Welfare Association
of Australia (Chair)
Bev Orr - Australian Foster Care Association (Deputy
Chair)
Anne McLeish - Grandparents Australia (Secretary)
Simon Schrapel - Child and Family Welfare Association
of Australia
Jennie Hannan - Family Relationship Services Australia
Tony Stevenson - Mission Australia
Prue Warrilow - National Association of Community
Based Children's Services
Mark Brooke - Playgroups Australia
Sharron Williams - Secretariat of National Aboriginal
and Islander Child Care
Bob Nicholson - YMCA Australia
Marie Leech - Co-opted
Paul Rajan - Co-opted
Sandie is a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Child and Family Support; the Department of Human Services Sector Development Plan Reference Group; Chair of the Workforce Working Group; and Secretary of the Child and Family Welfare Association of Australia. Sandie works for Berry Street Victoria which is now the largest independent child and family welfare organisation in Victoria, providing services across the State. In all her roles, Sandie has always demonstrated a strong commitment to working together and a passion for improving life opportunities and choices for children, young people and families
Bev Orr
Bev represents the Australian Foster Care Association which is the only national representative body for foster carers and foster care associations throughout Australia. The membership of the Association is comprised of the peak foster care association of each Australian State or Territory and through them in excess of 12,500 Australian carer families from throughout Australia.
Anne McLeish
Anne is currently National Director of Grandparents Australia and state director of Grandparents Victoria. Recent national work includes a national survey of grandparents from every state and territory and all walks of life to determine their views about the future for their grandchildren and the conduct of a campaign to highlight the need for better childcare provision as an issue of national significance.
Simon Schrapel
From May 1999 Simon has held the position of Executive Manager, Family and Community Development, at Anglicare SA, where he is responsible for a broad range of services from child care to out of home care, supported accommodation and housing, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, employment programs, refugee settlement services, financial services, youth services, disability support and mental health services, community development, community legal services, family relationship services and family support amongst other areas. These services are provided from a variety of locations across the Adelaide metropolitan area. Simon has worked in a range of policy, planning and management positions, principally focused on the funding and delivery of services by the non-government community services sector. This has included positions in the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka and Australia in state and local government as well as not for profit organisations.Simon has been a member of the South Australian Council of Social Services (SACOSS) Policy Council since 2000 and the Chairperson of SACOSS since July 2002. He has also been the Chair of the Child and Family Welfare Association of Australia since 2001.
Jennie Hannan
Representing Family Services Australia, Jennie has worked as a therapist (child and family) for over 25 years with particular areas of interest in child inclusive practice and family court associated services. Prior to joining Anglicare she was deputy CEO for Relationships Australia in WA and has worked in family relationship services for the past 15 years in SA and WA. Jennie is currently employed as Executive General Manager, Services, at Anglicare WA, an organisation which provides Family Relationships Services Program funded services. Additionally, Jennie is currently responsible for Anglicare WA's other services including youth, housing, employment, aboriginal and foster care services as well as other State funded counselling and support services across WA including Victim Support Services and domestic violence perpetrator and victim services.
Tony Stevenson
Tony Stevenson is Mission Australia’s Queensland State Director. Tony was previously the Chief Executive Officer of Anglicare Central Queensland. He is committed to a viable and proactive non-Government sector which works alongside families, children and individuals to inspire self-confidence and hope, and enable people to tap their own resources to pursue a positive and independent future. His background of over 25 years in community services includes management, policy development and program delivery with Federal, State and Local Government, private consultancy and the non-Government sector. He was the principal consultant for the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Reform of Children’s Services in Australia and a committee Chair of the Australian Health and Community Services Ministerial Council.
Prue Warrilow
Prue is the Deputy National Convenor of the National Association of Community Based Children's Services (NACBCS); she is currently the Deputy Convenor of the NSW NACBCS branch and was NSW Convenor for the past 4 years. She represents NACBCS on the National Children's Services Forum and the Commonwealth Child Care Reference Group. Prue is the owner and CEO of Families At Work. NACBCS' objective is to promote not for profit children's services in Australia. NACBCS is the peak representative organisation for all Australian community owned children's services.
Mark Brooke
Mark is Chief Executive Officer of Playgroup Queensland. A major focus of Mark’s work has been working with children, young people and their families including six years as CEO of Playgroup Queensland and 11 years as Deputy CEO of Police Youth Clubs in both Queensland and New South Wales. Mark is a past President and Treasurer of Playgroup Australia, a Board Member of the Queensland Minister for Communities’ Child and Family Forum, and was appointed to the Australian Families and Children Council in 2007. Mark is also the past Chairperson of the Mainstream Youth Organisation’s Crime Prevention Task Force. Mark is the recipient of the Queensland Police Service Medal for Diligent and Ethical Service; the R.M. Hanlon Public Sector Award for Executive Leadership; and his qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts and an MBA (Public Administration). He resides in Brisbane with his wife and two young children.
Sharron Williams
Representing the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care, Sharron is a Narungga/Kaurna woman who has been the CEO of the Aboriginal Family Support Services in Adelaide for seven years. Sharron’s experience has included 15 years with Correctional Services through a range of strategic and policy development positions which included being the first Indigenous Public Relations Officer within the Correctional Services System within SA. The Aboriginal Family Support Services Inc (AFSS) was established in 1978 as the SA Aboriginal Child Care Agency Forum Inc (ACCA) in order to have an Aboriginal organisation involved in matters relating to child welfare. Prior to 1978, Aboriginal children were often being removed from their families and communities without the consent or even consultation with extended family members.
Bob Nicholson
Bob has forty years employment with the YMCA movement in Australia. He also has extensive experience in Not-for-Profit Management, Voluntary Board Development, community programming and service development. YMCA Australia is a federation of 37 independently incorporated Associations, each governed by a voluntary Board of Directors. The YMCA operates in more than 400 communities across Australia, and each week provides programs and services to more than 500,000 people of all ages. The YMCA Mission is to provide opportunities for all people to grow in body, mind and spirit.
Marie Leech
Marie is currently the Principal at Sancta Sophia College at the University of New South Wales. Marie has a PhD in Social Policy from the University of Sydney and a Masters of Science and Society from the University of New South Wales. Her business achievements were recognised as a NSW Finalist in the 2005 Telstra Business Women’s Awards.
Marie was appointed to the Federal Government’s Stronger Families and Communities Strategy Partnership, was a member of the Board of Directors of the Australian Institute of Family Studies; and on a number of Committees, including Working Groups of the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY). Voluntary work has included the development of strategies to provide access to education for disadvantaged girls and women, especially Aboriginal women.
Previous roles include the position of General Manager, Community Services, at Mission Australia, and Senior Policy Advisor at Uniya, the Jesuit office for social justice research. Prior to her career in social policy and research, Dr Leech taught senior chemistry and biology at Kincoppal Rose Bay and was an educator at TAFE and university levels.
Paul Rajan
Paul is General Manager with responsibility for the Edfutures and Remote Schools Policy and Services Divisions in the Northern Territory Department of Employment Education and Training. He was formerly Director, Community Engagement in the Department of the Chief Minister. Paul has worked in both government and community sector human services agencies since 1975. As Principal Policy Officer and later Assistant Director Young Offender Services in the W.A. Department of Community Services and then as General Manager of Creative LINKS Foundation he has significant experience in policy development and analysis and in the practical application of policy in the development and operation of programs.
Previous Board Members