She is a Research Fellow in the Social Work Department at the University of Melbourne and has a small consultancy in human services. Her numerous research projects and consultancies have covered a range of human service areas with a focus on vulnerable children and families, and out of home care. She has provided tertiary education and field training in her areas of expertise including carer recruitment and selection, and kinship care. She has made many conference presentations internationally on topics in child welfare, most recently about issues in the development of kinship care programs. Her two current research projects focus on kinship care provided by members of children’s communities (non-familial kinship care), and kinship care provided by young adults such as siblings and aunts/uncles.