Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Certification
Timeline
Generic

Trudy Smith

Perth,WA

Summary

Throughout past and current employment, gained valuable skills that have shaped into a professional. Possesses strong problem-solving and reasoning abilities, enabling to thrive under pressure. Actively encourages development of colleagues by fostering a supportive work environment. Acquired diverse range of skills in various disciplines, constantly seeking new challenges and opportunities for growth. Prioritizes significance of culture in decision-making processes. Collaborates within team-oriented culture, understanding importance of trust, openness, and clear direction. Harnesses collective strengths of team to effectively address challenging client situations. Effective communication is a hallmark, continuously striving to articulate self clearly and concisely. Calm disposition and sense of humor are advantageous assets in navigating complex work environments. Emotional intelligence is essential for success, upholding values such as honesty and reliability. Extensive experience in supervision, mentoring, and culturally appropriate practice. Previously worked as supervisor in remote South Australia and in Child Protection roles in Australia's Northern Territory and New Zealand. Currently serving as Practice Leader, responsible for conducting risk assessments for children while ensuring culturally sensitive and trauma-informed practices. Expertise extends to child developmental stages and providing quality supervision while effectively communicating with team members and stakeholders. Long-time Public Servant with ingrained professionalism and professional independence. Models a just culture thatfosters a safe and inclusive environment for all.

Overview

40
40
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

Practice Manager

Life Without Barriers
11.2023 - Current
  • Facilitated communication between staff members, fostering a collaborative work environment that improved overall team performance.
  • Undertake Practice Assurance functions.
  • Lead a team of Therapeutic Specialists to support other business areas of LWB to improve outcomes for children and Young people.
  • Assessment and planning. Provide recommendations for placement stability.
  • Collaboration with other business partners within LWB to align therapeutic strategies.
  • Deliver training and development.
  • Advocacy and cultural competency.
  • Provide guidance to SLT re critical incidents.
  • Monitoring and reporting.
  • Provide professional judgement and review.

Practice Leader/ Leader/ Principal Practitioner.

Department of Families, Fairness & Housing
11.2019 - 10.2023
  • To provide a high level of social work practice knowledge to CP workers
  • Review cases and provide expert narrative
  • Engage in case discussion and mentoring
  • Critique case practice and drive quality
  • Provide consults on cases and case direction
  • Participate in Senior Leadership group and planning within the office
  • Monitor practice with the work group
  • Assist Principal Practitioner with workload when on leave with review and closure of RSO cases
  • Oversight of all Infants in the Child Protection program in Goulburn
  • Providing practice leadership
  • Work with key stakeholders
  • Preparation of reports for coroner's court
  • Facilitate practice innovation
  • Practice governance

Acting Principal Practitioner

Department of Families Fairness and Housing
06.2022 - 09.2022
  • Contribute to the Executive Leadership group within DFFH
  • Consult on all high-risk cases within Child Protection
  • Review child death files and prepare report for the state coroner
  • Oversight of infants/children who have sustained non accidental injuries
  • Provide practice leadership within the Child Protection program
  • Report to Executive Director of Child Protection

Acting Deputy Area Operations Manager (Case Management)

Department of Families Fairness and Housing
04.2022 - 06.2022
  • Manage the Case Management program within Goulburn and report directly to the Director of Child Protection
  • Supervise Team managers
  • Maintain KPI's and review data compliance
  • Complete Quality of Care Assessments
  • Manage staffing requirements

Team Manager Investigation and Response Team

Department of Families Fairness and Housing
01.2018 - 11.2019
  • Manage Child Protection Reports coming into the office
  • Ensure that KPI's are met
  • Supervision of Staff
  • Work monitoring and critiquing standards of social work practice as per the Best Interest model
  • Performance reviews of staff
  • Participate in leadership meetings and planning
  • Mentoring of staff

Child Protection Senior Practitioner (Supervisory)

Department of Families Fairness and Housing
11.2015 - 01.2018
  • Investigate Child Protection Intake Reports and undertake risk and safety assessments
  • Complete mandatory tasks in terms of best practice and Child Protection manual
  • Critique standards of social work practice and ensure ongoing safe practice
  • Prepare reports for Court
  • Undertake case planning
  • Supervision of staff
  • Participate in case discussions and provide practice support for Team Manager

Senior Practitioner

Child Abuse Taskforce
04.2014 - 11.2014
  • Company Overview: Small specialist team
  • Joint Dept of Children and Families/NT Police initiative to investigate notifications of complex abuse of children
  • Undertake Protective Assessments for children abused whilst currently in the care of the Department
  • Undertake complex Investigation Summary Reports
  • Make recommendations re case planning and service delivery
  • Critique standards of social work practice and make case plan recommendations
  • Small specialist team
  • Joint Dept of Children and Families/NT Police initiative to investigate notifications of complex abuse of children

Supervisor Family Support and Child Safety Team

Families SA
04.2011 - 11.2014
  • Supervision, mentoring and management of a team of Social Workers and care and protection workers
  • Day to day case management of clients
  • Monitoring Investigations and assessments
  • Family Care Meetings
  • Preparation of court reports, case plans, referral to service agencies
  • Facilitating interagency meetings and protocols with non-government and government agencies
  • Facilitate meeting with gazette Aboriginal support agencies
  • Briefing management and state parliament re risk issues in the community and area of social importance
  • Facilitating and monitoring culturally appropriate practice
  • Ensuring that services are available to support families
  • Facilitate service delivery to remote aboriginal communities within the region
  • Travel remotely to deliver services and liaise with community stakeholders
  • Model cultural competence in practice and service delivery
  • Refer and help facilitate community lead Family Meetings
  • Monitor cultural care planning
  • Provide ongoing supervision and mentoring
  • Ensure competency within the team and office
  • Performance management
  • Evaluation of current systems in order to drive reform
  • Support Kinship care placements

Senior Practitioner - Child Protection

Department of Human Services
10.2010 - 04.2011
  • Day to day case management of clients
  • Undertake risk assessments of Child Protection reports
  • Develop evidence plans to support short- and long-term intervention strategies for clients
  • Preparation and presentation of Court reports, case plans, referral to service agencies, submissions, First Home Visit documents
  • Mentoring of staff and promote issues relating to the protection of Children and Young people
  • Advanced understanding of issues relating to Child Protection and Public Welfare

Owner

Family business
08.2008 - 06.2010
  • Own and operate 2 Salad Bars in Central Christchurch on behalf of Family business
  • All general business duties
  • Front line customer service
  • Support of Community Welfare projects
  • I.e
  • Christchurch City Mission, feeding the homeless in Christchurch

Owner

Caci Clinic Franchise
11.2006 - 03.2008
  • Supervise all staff including Doctor and Registered Nurses
  • Recruit/Interview new staff
  • Oversee all employment issues
  • Marketing
  • Client welfare
  • Business development and growth
  • Support of community welfare projects

Business Owner

Home Services
08.1999 - 03.2006
  • Company Overview: New Zealand wide
  • Grow business from 160 Franchisees/Turnover $7.5million to 231 Franchisees/Turnover $14million
  • Create new marketing initiatives and implement
  • Supervise and oversee all legal requirements for business
  • Market research and implement new services and appropriate strategies
  • Human Resource Manager for business (the interests and concerns of 231)
  • Recruitment of New Franchisees including Immigrants - liaise and assist immigration process
  • Volunteer work at local hospice and Elderly Care Facilities
  • New Zealand wide

Senior Social Worker and Team Manager

Child Youth & Family (CYFPS)
08.1990 - 05.1994
  • Set up Eastern Southland Sexual Abuse Team
  • Establish with Dept
  • Internal Affairs Youth Worker for Eastern Southland (saw a need and responded to it)
  • Work with Local Iwi/create community-based projects
  • Relief Manager/Supervisor for Eastern Southland
  • Youth Justice work
  • Organize/facilitate family group conferences
  • Family Court work

Social Worker

Child Youth and Family (CYFPS)
07.1989 - 08.1990
  • Develop and Set up Southland Sexual Abuse Investigation Unit with Local Police, medical Professionals etc
  • Part of Youth Justice Team

Social Worker

Department of Social Welfare
06.1985 - 06.1989
  • Dept
  • Social Welfare - Sole Charge Social Worker Stratford/Central Taranaki
  • Supervision of Bachelor of Social Work students on placement
  • Generic Social Work
  • Abuse Investigation
  • Evidential interviewing (Sexual and Physical abuse cases)
  • Preparation of legal documents
  • Working with Foster Parents, children, adolescents
  • Working with Families
  • Community Development Team
  • Prepare funding proposals
  • Supervision of volunteers
  • Help establish Centre in Stratford targeting 'at risk' youth
  • Tough Love Group organizer/manager
  • Working with local Iwi on community-based projects
  • Preparation of Court reports, attending court, liaison with Judges/Police
  • Position Highlight: Being part of a team that was instrumental in and created the model for the first (1st) Sexual Abuse Investigation Unit in New Zealand
  • Training of staff in forensic interviewing of children

Education

Bachelor of Social Work - Bachelor Of Social Work

Massey University
Palmerston North NZ

Leadership training, Professional development program: Children in contact with sex offender, Working with Childrens Check (Vic)

01.2019

Management in the workplace/employment law, Remote 4 Wheel Drive Training

01.2012

Diploma of Child, Youth and Family Intervention -

01.2012

Certificate III In Government - (Families SA)

01.2012

Hospice Volunteer Courses
01.1995

Evidential Interviewing, Youth Justice, Care and Protection, Social Work and the Law, Stress management, Neuro Linguistic Programming, Family therapy, Defensive driving, Marketing course, Kiwi Host for Managers

Various courses whilst employed by Government
01.1994

Bachelor of Social Work - academic and placement based 4yr course

Massey University
01.1983

School Certificate - University Entrance (Accredited), Bursary obtained

Rotorua Girls High School
01.1979

Skills

  • Staff management
  • Human resources
  • Decision-making
  • Training and mentoring
  • Staff supervision
  • Critical thinking
  • Practice management
  • Workflow management
  • Policy implementation
  • Policy and procedure development
  • Regulatory compliance
  • Continuous improvement

Certification

Diploma In Child Protection. University of SA

Cert 3 in Government ( SA)

Timeline

Practice Manager

Life Without Barriers
11.2023 - Current

Acting Principal Practitioner

Department of Families Fairness and Housing
06.2022 - 09.2022

Acting Deputy Area Operations Manager (Case Management)

Department of Families Fairness and Housing
04.2022 - 06.2022

Practice Leader/ Leader/ Principal Practitioner.

Department of Families, Fairness & Housing
11.2019 - 10.2023

Team Manager Investigation and Response Team

Department of Families Fairness and Housing
01.2018 - 11.2019

Child Protection Senior Practitioner (Supervisory)

Department of Families Fairness and Housing
11.2015 - 01.2018

Senior Practitioner

Child Abuse Taskforce
04.2014 - 11.2014

Supervisor Family Support and Child Safety Team

Families SA
04.2011 - 11.2014

Senior Practitioner - Child Protection

Department of Human Services
10.2010 - 04.2011

Owner

Family business
08.2008 - 06.2010

Owner

Caci Clinic Franchise
11.2006 - 03.2008

Business Owner

Home Services
08.1999 - 03.2006

Senior Social Worker and Team Manager

Child Youth & Family (CYFPS)
08.1990 - 05.1994

Social Worker

Child Youth and Family (CYFPS)
07.1989 - 08.1990

Social Worker

Department of Social Welfare
06.1985 - 06.1989

Leadership training, Professional development program: Children in contact with sex offender, Working with Childrens Check (Vic)

Management in the workplace/employment law, Remote 4 Wheel Drive Training

Diploma of Child, Youth and Family Intervention -

Certificate III In Government - (Families SA)

Hospice Volunteer Courses

Evidential Interviewing, Youth Justice, Care and Protection, Social Work and the Law, Stress management, Neuro Linguistic Programming, Family therapy, Defensive driving, Marketing course, Kiwi Host for Managers

Various courses whilst employed by Government

Bachelor of Social Work - academic and placement based 4yr course

Massey University

School Certificate - University Entrance (Accredited), Bursary obtained

Rotorua Girls High School

Bachelor of Social Work - Bachelor Of Social Work

Massey University
Trudy Smith