we have been here before
Experience
Co-Founder
Hayley Toon
B. Psychology B. Criminology and Criminal Justice
Additional training and qualifications: Therapeutic Crisis Intervention, CARE, Diploma Management, Diploma Coordination, Diploma Community Services Child Protection & Youth Work Strengthening Families Framework of Practice, Three Pillars of Transforming Care, Circle of Security
Hayley has been working in the child protection field for the past 12 years using a strength based, trauma informed, narrative and attachment framework. As a frontline worker both with carers and in-home with vulnerable families, Hayley developed a passion for practicing in an experiential and genuine manner. Combining this with her experience coordinating and managing teams, Hayley can provide both a direct and supervisory approach.
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Hayley is holistic in her approach and has a passion for mindfulness in parenting and practice, believing in intention and purpose in all interactions. As a mother herself, Hayley understands the everyday hassles that can come with parenting and approaches all situations with a desire to understand and explore solutions. She has skills working in complex settings, exploring the family as a system, the multidimensional needs of the placement and the feedback of stakeholders involved. Hayley feels strongly about education for all individuals to equip them with the best tools and strategies to meet the complex and ever-changing needs of children in out-of-home care and create an environment based on open narrative and self-awareness.
Co-Founder
Kat Baulch
Ba Social Work, M. Management. Cert IV Workplace Training & Assessment.
Additional training and qualifications: Managing Vicarious Trauma, Recognise and respond appropriately to domestic and family violence, Safe & Together Model, Common Risk Assessment Framework (CRAF 3), Infant Mental Health.
Kat’s connection to the out of home care system began more than 90 years ago when her Nanna was placed in an orphanage and subsequently her Nanna spent most of her childhood moving between foster placement’s. After hearing about the stories of her Nanna’s early years in the out of home care system, Kat finished her Bachelor of Social Work and began her career working in foster care in Victoria.
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Kat has been working in out of home care, hospital and health care settings and domestic violence for the past 17 years. What underpins Kat’s work is her desire to provide children in out of home care a better childhood than her Nanna had. Kat is passionate about supporting carers so that they are able to create stable, caring and supportive homes for children in need.
Kat is highly adept at establishing positive and professional relationships with people from diverse backgrounds and experience. In addition, Kat is skilled and experienced in public speaking, training, health care and leadership with demonstrated experience in developing evidenced based training material as well as using adult learning pedagogies to deliver engaging training sessions.
Outside of Collective Caring, you will find Kat on weekends spending time with her young family, attempting to train for various fun runs as well as trying to complete the never ending task of painting an old Queenslander home.
therapeutic Practitioner
Kristen Benson
M. Child & Adolescent Welfare
Additional training and qualifications: Therapeutic Crisis Intervention. Trauma Informed Practice, Attachment Theory, Advanced supervision, Diploma in Youth Work, Program Management
Kristen holds a Masters in Child and Adolescent Welfare and has been working in the field of Social Work for the past 14 years, both in Australia and India. With extensive experience in therapeutic care and working with vulnerable and disenfranchised young people from a variety backgrounds, Kristen’s passion and focus is on attachment theory and implementing trauma- informed programs within a community context. Kristen has worked extensively with young people and children who have experienced complex trauma, in the context of therapeutic residential care and therapeutic community settings.
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Kristen spent five years in India implementing and managing a home for orphaned, abused and abandoned children and is extremely passionate about providing all children in the world the best care possible, as well as the tools and supports to navigate all stages and challenges of life. With an emphasis on early intervention and the benefits of relationship-focused care, Kristen has supervised, managed and trained Carers and staff in a residential setting for more than ten years. She also has vast experience drawing on a range of trauma-informed theories and frameworks, to assist those working with traumatised children and young people to make sense of trauma-based behaviour, and the powerful dynamics that working with trauma elicit in people.
Outside of work Kristen is mum to two little treasures who have taught her to live without sleep. Travel, adventure and the ocean fill her soul and she can always be found planning the next journey, whether it's travelling to a new land or building a tiny house in the bush. She is happiest with her family by the ocean, paddle boarding or immersed in her yoga practice and teaching. Sharing life and as many raw and magical moments with her treasured friends is the icing on the cake.
Independent Assessor
Charlotte Wildridge
BA Hons Social Work, Diploma Social Work
Additional training and qualifications: GNVQ Health and Social Care, Therapeutic Crisis Intervention, St Luke’s Strength Based Training, Triple P (Positive Parenting Program)
Charlotte has worked with the children, families and child protection, services for 12 years. Charlotte’s time as a Social Worker has spanned across working within out of home care settings, Family Support, Family Placement, Fostering Social Worker, Family Counsellor and working as a Social Worker for the Department of Human Services (Centrelink).
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Charlotte’s framework of practice is derived from a human centred approach, with a belief of working with individuals from a holistic perspective. Charlotte strives for best practice, believing that individuals possess skills, strengths and capabilities to make choices and decisions upon their lives. Charlotte understands that with life’s struggles, at times guidance and assistance may be required to help one achieve goals and overcome diversity. Charlotte takes privilege in walking besides individuals, recognising barriers and seeking resources to overcome restrictions.
Charlotte is an empathic, warm, caring and compassionate person who works congruently and authentically in a genuine and supportive manner. Charlotte enjoys meeting people, building relationships, and learning about their life stories. Charlotte has in-depth knowledge and insight into the complexities of life, working with individuals from their frame of reference in an anti-oppressive, non-judgemental manner.
Charlotte is a mummy to two children and two guinea pigs who she adores! She enjoys spending time with her family and friends and cuddling her guinea pigs.
Independent Assessor
Jane Harry
BA Hons Social Work: Gold Key International Honour Society Member
Additional training and qualifications: Strengthening Families Facilitator, Social Work supervisor and previous board member of The Women’s Centre (New Zealand)
Jane is a passionate Social Worker with a wealth of experience providing statutory practice in investigation and out of home care. Jane has worked in the field for over 19 years with her experience spanning New Zealand, the Northern Territory and Queensland. Jane is known for her high-quality service and wealth of knowledge.
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In particular, Jane has worked extensively with our First Nation families within the Northern Territory and is experienced in facilitating Family Group Conferences as well as having held multiple Team Leader positions within the Department of Territory Families. Jane is known for her high quality assessment work and ability to quickly build a rapport with all the families we work alongside.
Jane loves exploring the outdoors and outside of work, you can find her spending time with her family and grandchildren.
Independent Assessor
Natalee Martin
BBs(Psych); Certification Guiding and Teaching Meditation, Cert IV Training & Assessment, and Master of Counselling (current student).
Additional training and qualifications: Family Systems, Narrative and Solution Focused Therapy, Circle of Security, 1,2,3 Magic, Gottman Relationship Counselling, Anger Management, Domestic and Family Violence, Play Therapy, A Therapeutic Treasure Box: Developmental Trauma, Mindfulness, and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT).
Natalee has many years experience working both therapeutically and practically with individuals and families in-home and with foster carers particularly within a child protection framework.
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Natalee has a high level of empathy, interpersonal, and communication skills and is passionate about working with children and families with the hope of increasing safety, reducing risk, and facilitating positive outcomes. Natalee works within a collaborative strength based and solution focused framework, drawing on principles of Attachment Theory, Narrative Therapy, ACT, Family Systems, and Mindfulness.
Independent Assessor
Karen Castle
B. Social Science (with distinction); Dip. Counselling & Communication (recipient Academic Excellence Award); Member Golden Key International Honours Society; Member Queensland Child Protection Practitioners Association.
Additional training and qualifications: Facilitator Strengthening Families Framework for Practice; Safe and Together Model – Core Training; Safe and Together Model – Intersections: when DV perpetration, substance abuse and mental health meet; Common Risk Assessment Framework (CRAF 3); Non-violent Crisis Intervention; St Luke’s Innovative Resources in Practice; ICARE – conducting forensic interviews with child victims in accordance with the legislative and best practice requirements.
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Karen was also part of the team that was tasked with implementing the recommendations from the Not Now Not Ever – Putting an End to Domestic and Family Violence in Queensland report, where she helped set up and embed practice in the Domestic and Family Violence High Risk Teams across the Brisbane and Moreton Bay areas.
Karen’s sees her work as a ‘calling’ and believes that being down to earth and approachable in her practice will help bring out the best in those she works with. She is skilled and experienced in engaging with people from different backgrounds to her own and respects the privileged position that learning about others brings. Karen enjoys training, mentoring and coaching and takes a creative, innovative approach to anything she does.
Karen is also a qualified yoga instructor and is currently studying to become an iRest facilitator – a form of meditation developed to support people who have experienced stress and trauma in their lives. In her spare time, you might find Karen enjoying fresh seafood lunches with her partner, spending weekends around the bonfire with her extended family, or walking her French bulldog, Bowie. She also loves a good nap!
Collective Partners
SpeakTeen
Davina Donovan
BA Psychology with Honours
Davina has extensive experience working with individuals, systems and communities effected by a range of social challenges including families involved in the out of home care sector, domestic and family violence and suicide. She has direct practice experience providing therapeutic interventions and case management to those involved in domestic and family violence including men, women, families and children.
Davina has a passion for providing education and training to groups to increase awareness and empower individuals and groups to make systemic changes. For Davina, group facilitation and education and training to be the most powerful catalyst for change. Her work with The Psych Professionals, dhamma and co, and headspace School Support, and she was able to support these workplaces to make dramatic, long term, systemic and attitudinal changes.
When Davina is not working with Collective Caring you can find her running a number of successful gyms around Brisbane and encouraging the community to prioritise their wellbeing.
Our The logo and brand s3 triangles have several meanings. The two coloured line versions represent both Hayley (earth) and Kat (water). The different colours and directions of lines symbolise their individuality and work experiences. When these 2 shapes combine (inner centre triangle) it shows the symbiotic relationship between the two, but more importantly, the relationship they have with the people they support. This is emphasised with the strong dark triangle (community, home) encompassing the inner triangle.