Resume

Jane Smith is a solicitor who is an Accredited Specialist in Children’s Law with 20 years of experience
in the care jurisdiction. After completing a social work and a law degree, Jane worked as a Child
Protection Caseworker with the Department of Community Services (as it was then called) before
spending seven years as an in-house lawyer for the Department. Jane spent most of her time in the
Children’s Court acting for the Department in care proceedings and providing legal support to
Caseworkers during the Court process. Jane was also involved in legislative review has played a part
in most of the key legislative reforms to the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act
1998.
Jane established Care Legal in 2011 and has continued her specialisation in Children’s Law, providing
legal advice, advocacy, training, investigation and consultancy services to both government and non-
government clients. Jane is on various Legal Aid panels, including the Care and Protection panel for
children and adults, the Family Law panel and the Domestic Violence duty scheme. Jane has been
engaged by DCJ to develop and deliver training to new Caseworkers. She has also prepared and
delivered affidavit writing training through the PSP Learning Hub. Jane regularly provides external
legal support and training to NGOs across a range of areas, including legal issues that arise in out-of-
home care, adoption and disability services.