Our Committee
Tammy, President. I started with FISH in 2014 as a founding member. I am a parent with lived experience whose children were removed. I worked hard to get them home and my family is proud of what we achieved together. As part of FISH, I’m helping and educating others to be more family inclusive. Family inclusion is about children’s rights and the importance of them knowing their families and where they come from and for parents and family to be part of decisions about their children’s lives. Workers and carers need to partner more with parents and families and build better relationships so they can all meet children’s needs and rights.
Natasha, Committee member. I am a mother of six children. I have experience in the child protection system. Two of my children were restored to my care and I am seeking restoration of my older daughter. I am almost five years clean and sober. I am extremely proud of myself, my family and my culture. I identify as a proud Kamilaroi woman. My children are my life. I am a very active person with a strong passion for the gym, exploring the beach and bushwalks with my family. I want to be a part of helping other families to feel supported in their journey within the child protection system.
Catherine, Committee member. I am a mother of four children, a grandmother of eight and I am a student. I am a keen advocate for mothers and for grandparents raising grandchildren when parents need them. Kinship and foster carers should play an active role in supporting parents in their work towards having their children returned home. I think FISH is critical in this work and I am excited to be part of promoting the importance of child-parent-carer relationships.
Sylvia, Committee member. I have worked in child protection with the Department of Communities and Justice for several years, primarily with families in the early stages of their experience with the system and conducting safety and risk assessments for children and young people. I enjoy working collaboratively with families and other agencies to ensure kids and families have the support they need for kids to be safe and at home with their parents or carers and when they are restored to their parents’ care.
Jessica, Secretary. I am a social worker and researcher with a lot of experience in child protection and out-of-home care. I am also a mum to two young men, aged 18 and 20. They were both primary school aged boys when I began working with other social workers and with parents with lived experience to form FISH in 2014. We were increasingly distressed about the way parents and families were treated and how damaging this was for them and their children. We felt parents and families needed to organise together to make change and to address the underlying causes of child removal. As time has passed I have become even more committed to supporting parent and family leadership in the child welfare system here and around the world.
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