Resume

Joanne Wyles has worked in the field of adoption for over 30 years, initially as a contracted assessor, often with quite complex matters but also in providing training with a colleague, Penny Haskins to prospective families wishing to adopt from the local and permanent care programme, intercountry programme and OOHC programme.

Joanne has also in recent years completed guardianship assessments as this is also an area of providing permanency for children.

Joanne also works as a school counsellor and has worked with children and young people in a counseling and therapeutic role for more than 30 years. This has involved working with young people who have experienced trauma, loss and grief and the child protection system.

More recently Joanne with her colleague has been providing training to Caseworkers and Managers in the Department of FACS as well as NGOs in the area of permanency planning, adoption and guardianship and equipping them to support families to independently manage the challenges in raising children who have experienced trauma and the child protection system. The training also focuses on developing openness through the narrative that is developed with children, and through the relationships and contact arrangements they have with their birth family.