Meet our people

Julia has been a senior leader in the social services sector for over 20 years. She has been working in children and family services, in both government and non- government roles, throughout her career. Julia qualified as a social worker and has moved from being a practitioner to a senior manager in both the UK and NZ. Julia has managed numerous projects, from design through to implementation, and ensured quality was a core component in every project. Julia sits on several local and international Boards within her scope of practice. These Boards are all promoting quality practice and supporting mechanisms for community engagement and empowerment.

Rebecca has 26+ years working with diverse family/whanau and community groups, including 13 years in the UK focusing on Child Protection. She was the Child Protection and Safeguarding Lead for a school of 1600 pupils from vast religious, cultural and diverse backgrounds.
Rebecca is an experienced trainer facilitator in the primary handling and early detection of maltreatment and abuse within the child protection setting. With that in mind, Rebecca has whàngai/fostered children for 20+ years in New Zealand and England.

Rebecca has managed a national call centre team with satellite offices across the country in the wellbeing sector. Whereby responsible for and overseeing risk assessments, triaging calls, allocating out and matching to client need, rapid and critical incident response, multi-agency support and organisational workplace well-being. Rebecca is trained in the New Zealand Coordinated Incident Management System, managing emergency situations and is Crisis Intervention Stress Management trained, prevent and manage critical incidents stress and trauma. Rebecca is also a Board member and a Responder.

Rebecca has recently completed her Mediator training where she intends to put her skills, knowledge and background into family dispute resolution.

Kate is a Resolution Institute (LEADR) mediator since October 2014 and a social worker with Family Works in Christchurch. She provides parenting support in the home, works with children in the school and home environment and advocates for families/whanau and children. Kate facilitates parenting programmes such as the Incredible Years Parenting programme and the Ministry of Justice Parenting Through Separation course. She also offers pre-mediation coaching and is a child voice practitioner.

Ko Taupari te maunga
Ko Waikato te awa
Ko Queen of the Mercy te waka
Ko Scotland te iwi
Te Whanganui a Tara ahau
Ko Kathryn Gray toku ingoa
No reira, tēnā koutou,tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa

Kathryn is a Social Worker in Schools (SWiS) for Family Works since September 2020. Kathryn has held a SWiS role for five years previously for Barnardos and has worked with primary and intermediate aged children for thirteen years.

Kathryn has a range of experience in the community and statutory settings, having worked at Oranga Tamariki for two years and for other non-government agencies for about ten years.

Kathryn is interested in working with children, young people and their families about a range of things; areas of interest include working with anxiety, parenting and groups. She is particularly passionate about this age group and about children and young people being able to achieve in education.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
Master’s Applied in Social Work

MEMBERSHIPS:

SWRB – Social Workers Registration Board
ANZASW – Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers

Shona has had a long term goal to work in the field of Family Dispute Resolution. She has a particular interest in ensuring tamariki/children have a voice and have the opportunity to make meaningful contributions to finding workable solutions to issues that impact on the whole whanau/family.

Megan is a mediator accredited to do Family Dispute Resolution. As a registered nurse with over 20 years’ experience, Megan has extensive knowledge around child development and complex case management enabling her to engage and work with families during stressful situations.

During this time she has worked in marae based clinics in New Zealand, with remote Indigenous communities In Australia and with refugees. She has been involved in various policy and steering groups at national and local levels both here and in Australia. Megan is also qualified to provide professional supervision.

Phillippa Elliott is a Resolution Institute (LEADR) mediator, alternative dispute resolution mediator and ADR conflict and communication coach. She has owned an operated her own consultancy for 25 years and has worked nationally and internationally in training design and delivery.

Robert has a strong interest in achieving outcomes that are in the best interests of children. He is an executive member of the Institute of Educational and Developmental Psychology and a professional member of the New Zealand Psychological Society.

He is an associate of the Arbitration and Mediation Institute of New Zealand who accredited him to provide mediation for families. He provides individual and family counselling, and works with adolescents.

Previously, he was a secondary school teacher in South Auckland and has worked in universities in New Zealand and overseas.

Sue is a Resolution Institute (LEADR) mediator, and has completed a graduate diploma in Business Studies, dispute resolution and was awarded the FairWay Resolution Prize in Mediation. Sue facilitates our Parenting Through Separation Courses and her previous experience as an early childhood teacher and centre manager has given her an in-depth understanding of family dynamics and child development.