Georgina Thomas

I am deeply passionate about advancing just and positive outcomes for children and families through innovative practices that champion human rights and empower families. The genesis for this and my drive to create systemic change is grounded in more than 25 years' experience working in children's law and litigation in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Currently the Director of the Statewide Child Protection Litigation Office at the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, I lead an office providing legal advice and advocacy services to the child protection program across Victoria. Prior to this, I worked on the implementation of bold and innovative reform as a foundation Assistant Director at Queensland’s Director of Child Protection Litigation. Working across systems and jurisdictions has given me unique insights into different ways of engaging families in decision making and demonstrated how important it is to do this well. This hit home for me during a recent national children’s advocacy conference when I heard successive young people describe an experience of being overlooked and excluded from decision making that was ‘about them but not for them’.

Despite wide recognition of the benefits of collaborative approaches to decision making that preference family engagement and participation, disempowerment and marginalisation are common experiences for parents, and indirect participation through lawyers, protection workers and other professionals, continues to define the experiences of children.

Protecting children and supporting families is a cornerstone of a healthy, inclusive and humane society. My project will leverage my passion and experience in child protection, exploring family-centred decision-making in international jurisdictions acclaimed for innovation and best practice. Drawing on my findings, I will advocate for positive change that strengthens self-determination and promotes parent and child participation as ‘experts’ in their own lives with agency to meaningfully shape decisions and their futures.