Shane Wilson
Melbourne,VIC
Summary
Dynamic leader with extensive experience at the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, driving strategic policy development and legislative reform in child protection. Expert in stakeholder engagement and system improvement initiatives, I excel in fostering collaboration and delivering impactful outcomes, ensuring vulnerable children and families receive essential support and services.
Overview
35
35
years of professional experience
Work History
Director, Healthy Communities
Dhelkaya Health
Castlemaine, VIC
02.2025 - Current
A/ Executive Director, Outer Gippsland Area
Department of Families, Fairness and Housing
Melbourne, VIC
12.2024 - 01.2025
Director, Quality, Improvement and Oversight
Department of Families, Fairness and Housing
Melbourne, VIC
12.2023 - 01.2025
- Reporting to the Executive Director, Aboriginal Initiatives, Quality, Improvement and Oversight, I manage three teams driving statewide improvements across the Child Protection and Family Services portfolio.
- I am responsible for strategic policy and programs to improve children and families service system oversight, including key oversight projects such as the review of the Client Incident Management System (CIMS).
- Strategic engagement with oversight bodies including the Commissioner for Children and Young People, the Victorian Ombudsman and the Victorian Auditor-General’s office.
- Driving strategic policy work, in collaboration with operational and divisional colleagues to identify and leverage system insights from inquiry recommendations to drive system reform, including the Data Sharing Project between Victoria Police and DFFH for Child Protection clients absent/ missing from care.
- Continuous system and service improvement via projects to evaluate the quality of child and family services, efforts to improve those services, and preparation for the introduction of the Social Services Regulator and the commencement of the CCYP new advocacy functions from 1 July 2024.
- Supporting senior executives to acquit their system oversight responsibilities through governance mechanisms.
Director, Child Protection Policy
Department of Families, Fairness and Housing
03.2020 - 12.2023
- As the Director, Child Protection Policy in the Children and Families Division, reporting to the Executive Director, I provided strategic policy advice on the statutory Child Protection system and reform related opportunities and lead on various legislative reform activities for the Department and the Minister for Children.
- This included managing and leading three dynamic teams; Child Protection Policy; Child Protection Service Design and Implementation; and Transitions from Care.
- I have consistently driven on a range of key strategic design pilots and projects to improve the statutory Child Protection system, that has required high level strategic partnerships with a range of inter departmental colleagues state and commonwealth government departments and sector partners.
- I was responsible for providing expert policy and strategic advice as a system steward, on Child Protection systems, performance, processes, policies and legislative requirements to the Executive Director, Deputy Secretary, Secretary and Minister and their offices.
- Supporting government with introducing legislative reforms in the Victorian Parliament including the recent passing of the Children and Health Amendment (Statement of Recognition, Aboriginal Self-determination and Other Matters) Act 2023, and providing high level advice on a range of other sensitive cabinet in confidence matters to other government departments.
- Providing expert policy and legislative advice for Cabinet matters to the Executive Director, Deputy Secretary, Secretary and Minister, including regarding potential reform opportunities to the Children Youth and Families Act 2005 and other pieces of legislation before Parliament.
- Leading new and reviewing various policy and practice advice and Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) contained in the Child Protection Manual, for Child Protection, Community Services Organizations, and Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organizations.
- Collaborating with departmental colleagues, driving and advising on key strategic design pilots and projects affecting Child Protection operations including reforms to the Child Protection Manual; digital opportunities initiatives; cross government initiatives such as Child Link and the Court Services Victoria Case Management Portal; developing and implementing the Family Group Conferencing (FGC) pilot, and Leaving Care policy and budget initiatives.
- I consistently performed this role by working collaboratively across the department and with sector colleagues to drive policy analysis and insights through effective use of evidence, research and project management, as well as leading direct engagement from those with lived experience, as evidenced in my engagement with CREATE; the Youth Engagement and Advisory Group (YEAG); the Parents Advisory Group (PAG) and Positive Powerful Parents (PPP).
Director, Child Protection, West Division Brimbank Melton Area
Department of Health and Human Services
01.2019 - 02.2020
- As the Director, Child Protection, I had operational decision making and responsibility for effective service responses that improve outcomes for vulnerable children, young people and their families in the statutory Child Protection program in Brimbank Melton, West Division.
- Working within a statutory framework, Child Protection provides child-centred, family-focused services to protect children and young people from significant harm caused by abuse or neglect within the family and aims to make sure that children and young people receive services to deal with the effect of abuse and neglect on their wellbeing and development.
Director, Child Protection, North Division, Loddon Area
Department of Health and Human Services
04.2018 - 01.2019
Regional Manager, Children, Youth and Families (CYF) and A/ State Director - Victoria
Life Without Barriers
04.2017 - 03.2018
- In this role, I led and managed the Victorian Client Services operational and program-based teams and activities to ensure the agency is supporting clients to live their life the way they want through the successful delivery of contracts.
- I supported the State Director in developing, implementing, and managing the operational agenda of a region, in alignment with the LWB Strategic Plan, by providing leadership and input into the planning, development, growth and execution of services and strategies.
- Furthermore, I worked with a range of internal and external stakeholders to improve client outcomes and organizational performance.
Child Protection Manager – Office for Business Excellence
Department of Health and Human Services - Victoria
04.2013 - 03.2017
Child Protection Operations Manager
Department of Health and Human Services - Victoria
03.2010 - 04.2013
Contingency Manager
Department of Health and Human Services - Victoria
08.2009 - 02.2010
Senior Policy Adviser
Department of Health and Human Services - Victoria
09.2008 - 07.2009
Assistant Child Protection Manager
Department of Health and Human Services - Victoria
01.2007 - 08.2008
Child Protection Unit Manager
Department of Health and Human Services - Victoria
05.2003 - 12.2006
Training and Project Consultant
Department of Health and Human Services - Victoria
06.2001 - 05.2003
Child Protection (A) Unit Manager
Department of Health and Human Services - Victoria
10.2000 - 05.2001
Child Protection Team Leader
Department of Health and Human Services - Victoria
04.1997 - 10.2000
Child Protection Senior Protective Worker
Department of Health and Human Services - Victoria
10.1995 - 04.1997
Child Protection Protective Worker
Department of Health and Human Services - Victoria
01.1995 - 10.1995
Senior Family Services Adviser & A/ Team Leader
Department of Family Services & Aboriginal and Islander Affairs - QLD
01.1991 - 12.1994
Education
VICTORIAN LEADERSHIP ACADEMY -
VICTORIAN PUBLIC SECTOR COMMISSION
01.2023
AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPANY DIRECTORS -
THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPANY DIRECTORS
01.2018
EXECUTIVE MASTERS IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION (EMPA) -
THE AUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT (ANZSOG)
01.2015
BACHELOR OF APPLIED SCIENCE - PSYCHOLOGY
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND
01.1990
Skills
- Comprehensive operational experience
- Strategic policy development
- Child protection oversight
- Legislative reform implementation
- Stakeholder engagement
- Interdepartmental collaboration
- System improvement initiatives
- Risk management
- Effective communication
- Problem solving
- Critical thinking
- Team leadership
- Change management
- Problem-solving
- Financial management
- Negotiation
- Coaching and mentoring
- Policy design and implementation
- Leading and managing people
- Providing specialist policy advice
- Strategic plan development
- People leadership
- Communication
- Implementing evidence based models
- Team player
- Driver of positive workplace culture
- Dispute resolution
- Complaints resolution
- Policy operations
- Culture leadership
- Change leadership
- Project management
- Advocacy
- Diplomacy
- Public service excellence
- Public speaking
- Leading reform agenda
Key Qualifications
- 01/19, Victorian Leadership Academy Victorian Public Sector Commission
- 01/18, Australian Institute of Company Directors
- 01/15, Executive Masters in Public Administration (EMPA) The Australian & New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG)
- 01/90, Bachelor of Applied Science in Psychology University College of Southern Queensland
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Director, Healthy Communities
Dhelkaya Health
02.2025 - Current
A/ Executive Director, Outer Gippsland Area
Department of Families, Fairness and Housing
12.2024 - 01.2025
Director, Quality, Improvement and Oversight
Department of Families, Fairness and Housing
12.2023 - 01.2025
Director, Child Protection Policy
Department of Families, Fairness and Housing
03.2020 - 12.2023
Director, Child Protection, West Division Brimbank Melton Area
Department of Health and Human Services
01.2019 - 02.2020
Director, Child Protection, North Division, Loddon Area
Department of Health and Human Services
04.2018 - 01.2019
Regional Manager, Children, Youth and Families (CYF) and A/ State Director - Victoria
Life Without Barriers
04.2017 - 03.2018
Child Protection Manager – Office for Business Excellence
Department of Health and Human Services - Victoria
04.2013 - 03.2017
Child Protection Operations Manager
Department of Health and Human Services - Victoria
03.2010 - 04.2013
Contingency Manager
Department of Health and Human Services - Victoria
08.2009 - 02.2010
Senior Policy Adviser
Department of Health and Human Services - Victoria
09.2008 - 07.2009
Assistant Child Protection Manager
Department of Health and Human Services - Victoria
01.2007 - 08.2008
Child Protection Unit Manager
Department of Health and Human Services - Victoria
05.2003 - 12.2006
Training and Project Consultant
Department of Health and Human Services - Victoria
06.2001 - 05.2003
Child Protection (A) Unit Manager
Department of Health and Human Services - Victoria
10.2000 - 05.2001
Child Protection Team Leader
Department of Health and Human Services - Victoria
04.1997 - 10.2000
Child Protection Senior Protective Worker
Department of Health and Human Services - Victoria
10.1995 - 04.1997
Child Protection Protective Worker
Department of Health and Human Services - Victoria
01.1995 - 10.1995
Senior Family Services Adviser & A/ Team Leader
Department of Family Services & Aboriginal and Islander Affairs - QLD
01.1991 - 12.1994
VICTORIAN LEADERSHIP ACADEMY -
VICTORIAN PUBLIC SECTOR COMMISSION
AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPANY DIRECTORS -
THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPANY DIRECTORS
EXECUTIVE MASTERS IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION (EMPA) -
THE AUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT (ANZSOG)
BACHELOR OF APPLIED SCIENCE - PSYCHOLOGY
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND
Similar Profiles
Rochelle WatersRochelle Waters
Facilities Coordinator at Dhelkaya HealthFacilities Coordinator at Dhelkaya Health
Yvonne RileyYvonne Riley
• Clinical Coordinator at DHELKAYA HEALTH• Clinical Coordinator at DHELKAYA HEALTH
SHAREYA PAHWASHAREYA PAHWA
Endorsed Enrolled Nurse at Ezaal Healthcare (Dhelkaya Health)Endorsed Enrolled Nurse at Ezaal Healthcare (Dhelkaya Health)
Sunny NguyenSunny Nguyen
Team Projects or Group Work at High SchoolTeam Projects or Group Work at High School
Amer JaradaAmer Jarada
Senior OT/ICS Security Consultant at SISSenior OT/ICS Security Consultant at SIS