Our Team

The work of the Centre for Children & Young People is led by the Director, Professor Lynne McPherson, and supported by a dynamic, committed team of multidisciplinary researchers, Project Advisory Groups, young persons' consultative groups, research associates from Faculties across the University, engaged and supportive adjunct staff, high performing postgraduate students and regular visiting scholars. This diverse and talented team contributes immense expertise in undertaking research, education and advocacy activities to advance the rights and wellbeing of children and young people in the different contexts in which they live their lives.

Director Professor Lynne McPherson

Professor Lynne McPherson, Chair of Out-of-Home Care Research and Director of the Centre for Children and Young People (CCYP), leads an internationally recognised program of research focused on improving the lives of children and young people in out-of-home care. Grounded in children’s rights, participatory research and contemporary practice, her work seeks to drive evidence-informed change, amplify the voices of children and young people, and strengthen policy and practice across the care sector. In partnership with the Australian Childhood Foundation, Lynne co-created the Centre for Excellence in Therapeutic Care (CETC) in 2018 and serves as its Director of Research. Through this work, she has developed influential research, practice guides, research briefs, and knowledge translation resources that are widely used by practitioners, service providers and policymakers. Her research has attracted substantial competitive funding, including ARC Linkage and other Category 1 grants, and has helped shape national conversations on therapeutic care, child sexual abuse disclosure, and outcomes for children and young people in care.

Over nearly four decades in professional practice and academia, Lynne has built strong collaborations with government, non-government, and community organisations across Australia and internationally. Her expertise is regularly sought by government and sector leaders, and her research has informed major policy initiatives, including the NSW System Review into Out-of-Home Care. Through her leadership, the Centre continues to strengthen its reputation for producing impactful, collaborative, and translational research that improves policy, practice and outcomes for children, young people and families.

Research Interests: Lynne’s research interests are in the areas of child protection practice and out of home care, complex developmental trauma and therapeutic approaches, leadership and social work supervision.

Methodological Expertise: Qualitative methodologies, auto-ethnographic methodologies, critical participative methodologies.

Lynne's research profile

Centre Researchers

Dr Antonia Canosa

Research Interests: childism and childhood studies; social justice and emancipatory praxis in research with children; intersectionality and critical theory; children’s rights and participation; child safeguarding and wellbeing; children in out-of-home care and disability services; ethical and trauma-informed research with children; youth cultures.

Methodological Expertise: ethnography; visual and creative methods; participatory research; mixed methods studies; trauma-informed and decolonising methodologies.

Industry Collaboration Interests: Child, youth and family services sector; out-of-home care; disability services; schools; tourism industry and national parks.

Antonia's research profile

Dr Kylie Day

Research Interests: Indigenous Knowledge: Resistance and Advocacy; Indigenous Knowledge and the Academy; and Indigenous Knowledge and Transforming Practices.

Methodological Expertise: Indigenous methodologies, Qualitative analysis, Thematic analysis

Collaborations: Several local Aboriginal community organisations

Kylie's research profile

Dr Catharine Simmons

Research Interests: Childhood studies; sociology; student participation in decision making; children and young people’s rights and agency; participatory methodologies; cultures of childhood; learning through play and practice; knowledge as power; popular culture.

Methodological Expertise: Qualitative participatory methodologies and methods; child-led research; ethnography; arts-based research.

Industry Collaboration Interests: Student participation in education; student wellbeing; personalised learning; creativity and imaginative play in education programming; Indigenous knowledge and land management practices; young people’s theatre; community engagement.

Catharine's research profile

Dr Menka Tsantefski

Research Interests: Problematic parental substance use; women with problematic substance use in the transition to motherhood; children affected by parental substance use; domestic and family violence; social work practice at the intersection of alcohol and other drugs, domestic and family violence, mental health and child protection concerns; social networks; child sexual assault; child health and wellbeing

Methodological Expertise: Case study methodology; qualitative research; phenomenology; mixed method studies.

Industry Collaboration and Interests: Child wellbeing; alcohol and other drugs; Intersectoral collaboration between adult and child-focused services; child protection; family support services; health services for women and children.

Menka's research profile

Dr Georgina Dimopoulos

Research interests: Family law, children’s rights, family violence, privacy

Methodological expertise: Doctrinal research, qualitative methodologies, participatory research, empirical research, legal theory

Industry collaborations: Georgina has worked in legal practice, the Victorian courts, legal policy and the community sector. She was recently a Research Fellow in the Family Law, Family Violence and Elder Abuse team at the Australian Institute of Family Studies. She is a member of the Policy Working Group of the Australian Child Rights Taskforce; a Children’s Rights Trainer with the Diplomacy Training Program; and a member of Pacifica Congress (formerly the Australian Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts).

Georgina's research profile

Dr Emily Hindman

Research Interests: Early life trauma; neurodevelopment; child protection; children in out-of-home care; cognitive, emotional, and social development; trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming, and culturally responsive practice

Methodological Expertise: Quantitative research; clinical assessment; N=1 studies; longitudinal and between-groups analyses; multivariate modelling; large-scale, real-world data analysis.

Industry Collaboration Interests: Government, out-of-home care, and mental health sectors; translating research into policy and service delivery; workforce development; data-driven solutions to improve wellbeing outcomes.

Emily's research profile

Founder Emeritus Professor Anne Graham

Founding Director Emeritus Professor Anne Graham is now retired but remains closely connected to the Centre as an Adjunct Emeritus Professor, continuing to provide valuable mentoring, strategic guidance and support. Under Anne’s leadership, the Centre for Children and Young People established a strong national and international reputation for high-quality, impactful interdisciplinary research that improves policy and practice for children and young people. Over more than a decade, Anne led an extensive program of externally funded research, including multiple ARC Linkage and Discovery projects, attracting over $10 million in funding and fostering strong collaborations with government, non-government and community organisations. Her enduring contributions to children's rights, wellbeing and ethical research with children continue to shape the Centre’s research culture, partnerships and impact.

Research Interests: children and young people’s rights, social and emotional wellbeing and safety within different family, school and community contexts; ethical issues in researching with children & young people; interdisciplinary understandings of childhood.

Methodological Expertise: a wide range of mixed-method and qualitative methodologies; participatory research design; program evaluation; on-line survey development; young people as co-researchers.

Anne's research profile

Adjunct Dr Tess Boyle

Research Interests: Transitions between and across education settings; early years education and care; curriculum continuity and alignment; pedagogy education and praxis; middle leading; coaching as pedagogical leadership; ethical practices involving children.

Methodological Expertise: Qualitative critical participatory methodologies and methods; site ontology practice theories; theory of practice architectures; critical participatory methods, action research, case studies.

Industry Collaboration Interests: Tess has worked with government and non-government education authorities in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. Recent collaborations with industry partners include cross sectorial perspectives of early years education and care; ethical practices involving children; middle leading in the early years; continuity and alignment of curriculum across and within sectors; developing early years resources (videos); policy development; cross-sectorial perspectives of transitions to school.

Tess's research profile

Adjunct Dr Kathomi Gatwiri

Research Interests: Trauma informed practice, culturally informed practice, decolonizing teaching and practice, race and immigration, theories of the body, language and discourse, race and racism, critical race and intersectional theories, theories of belonging and governmentality, wellbeing among minoritised populations, diasporic identities, culture and identity

Methodological Expertise: Decolonizing methodologies, Qualitative methodologies, auto-ethnographic methodologies, Anti-oppressive methodologies, Intersectional methodologies, critical participative methodologies, and culturally informed methodologies.

Industry Collaboration Interests: Wellbeing of minoritised populations, promotion of inclusion and belonging in the community, decolonizing knowledge, community engagement, cultural humility and sensitivity in diverse practice, intersectional practice

Kathomi's research profile

Adjunct Dr Kate Neale

Research Interests: Childhood studies, disability studies, research ethics, sociocultural theory, recognition theory, social geography, socialisation theories, accessible methodologies, knowledge translation and the ethical considerations of involving vulnerable communities in research in a meaningful capacity.

Methodological Expertise: Qualitative research methods, trauma-informed approaches to honouring lived experience; co-production of knowledge; participatory action research methods; accessible methodologies; mind-mapping; PhotoVoice

Industry Collaboration Interests: Horticultural therapy; wellbeing, social inclusion and community cohesion linked to greenspaces in education, early years learning; public spaces; social housing; allied health

Kate's research profile

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