get to know jo

I live and work in Whanganui, Aotearoa, New Zealand. My career has involved working with children, young people and their whānau in various settings, primarily with children in foster care. After 18 years of working in child protection, including leading a national team, I have spent the past three years as the Manager of a local Women's Refuge. I am passionate about community development, safe practice, and creating a supportive team and workplace culture

Alongside offering external supervision and social work training  to helping professionals, I am also working with my community to design a service for extended whānau caregivers who agree to provide care for tamariki so that they do not need to enter into State care. My vision is that whānau caregivers will be supported to make informed decisions about providing care, with a commitment of ongoing support, so that tamariki can thrive outside of state care.