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Our Board

Our Board

ACWA is governed by a Board made up of representatives of NSW child, youth and family service agencies and peak organisations. Board Members are elected by members at ACWA's Annual General Meeting and serve for three years.

Portrait of Anita Le Lay

Anita Le Lay

Chair
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Portrait of Grainne O’Loughin

Grainne O’Loughin

Deputy Chair
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Ollie Parker

Treasurer
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Portrait of Narelle Clay

Narelle Clay

Director
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Portrait of Dr Lisa J. Griffiths

Lisa Griffiths

Director
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Robyn Miller

Director
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Courtney Pay

Director
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Portrait of Claire Robbs

Claire Robbs

Director
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Portrait of Simon Walsh

Simon Walsh

Director
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The Board is responsible for guiding and monitoring ACWA's strategic direction and financial affairs on behalf of members and meets every six weeks.

The ACWA Board uses a range a resources to fulfil its governance responsibilities, as outlined in the ACWA Constitution.

About

Portrait of Anita Le Lay

Anita Le Lay

Chair

Anita has nearly 30 years of involvement in the social and community services sector, with senior leadership experience across diverse NGOs and expertise in out-of-home care and youth transition services (including PSP, Aftercare, Foyer Central and its social impact bond, Extended Care pilot), Child protection, Disability services (including NDIS Local Area Coordination) and a range of other critical child and family services.  She is currently Executive Manager and Principal Officer in the Communities Directorate in Uniting NSW ACT.

About

Portrait of Grainne O’Loughin

Grainne O’Loughin

Deputy Chair

Grainne has over 30 years’ experience in public health and community services in the UK and Australia.

She has held a variety of senior executive roles and has extensive strategic and operational management experience in not-for-profit healthcare and community settings.

Grainne is an experienced Board Director currently serving as Chair of Australasian and President of the NSW Health Services Association Board (HAS) as well as the National Ability Roundtable. She has an extensive network across federal and state governments, academic partnerships and existing robust relationships with non-government sector leaders, First Nations and CALD communities across Australia.

About

Ollie Parker

Treasurer

Ollie is the Executive Leader of Finance and Corporate Lead for Barnardos Australia, overseeing a diverse portfolio that encompasses finance, commercial, risk, technology, business services, and Australian Barnardos Recruitment Services (abrs).

Ollie has held numerous executive roles across diverse sectors, from not-for-profit to professional services and commercial entities, navigating industries such as disability, FMCG, and aviation.

Renowned for his knack in identifying creative solutions, Ollie is adept at driving process improvements, realising cost efficiencies, and promoting effective organisational knowledge sharing. Ollie is also a champion for early childhood education in the role of Chair of his local not-for-profit preschool, underscoring his commitment to community enrichment.

About

Portrait of Narelle Clay

Narelle Clay

Director

Narelle is the CEO of Southern Youth and Family Services (SYFS) a not-for-profit operating a range of community services including out of home care services, youth health, education and training programs, family support, early intervention, social housing, supported accommodation and homelessness support programs. She has worked as a teacher in TAFE for 25 years.

She is a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in recognition of her support and advocacy including for young people and homelessness.

In 2007 was elected President of the Australian Services Union NSW/ACT so has served 17 years.
Previous National Chairperson of NYCH 6 years, then elected as the National Chairperson of AFHO, and in July 2002-June 2006 was the inaugural independent Chairperson of Homelessness Australia and re-elected in 2009 to 2013.

Narelle has previously been on the ACWA Board, the YFoundations Board and also on many State and National Advisory Committees eg Prime Minister’s Task Force, Community Advisory Committee Housing, and Community Services Advisory Group.

She is known for her advocacy and campaigning including the successful ERO case, the Domestic Violence Leave provisions, and is an expert on costings and financing including indexation. Narelle was honoured with the ACWA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024.

About

Portrait of Dr Lisa J. Griffiths

Lisa Griffiths

Director

Lisa is CEO of OzChild and has over 30 years of senior leadership experience in non-government organisations and the public sector.

Specialising in evidence based services for vulnerable communities, Lisa holds Non-Executive Director positions with several Child Welfare peak bodies, and other key government committees. Lisa is a Professor and Senior Fellow at the Australian Graduate School of Leadership. A Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Centre for Evidence-Based Management, Lisa is a passionate advocate for children’s issues and strongly advocates for utilising effective strategies that benefit Australian children, young people, and families.

About

Robyn Miller

Director

Robyn is the Chief Executive Officer of MacKillop Family Services. She is passionate about social justice and the rights of children and families. As a social worker and family therapist, Robyn has over thirty years’ experience in the child and welfare sector. Robyn is committed to training and supportive supervision for colleagues to provide best practice to the children and families we serve. When not traveling to MacKillop programs all over Australia, Robyn delights in her own five children and three beautiful grandchildren.

About

Courtney Pay

Director

As the National Director for Children, Youth and Families with Pathfinders I have oversight of more than 300 staff and support 200 young people and their families.

My responsibilities include foster care, Intensive Therapeutic Care, Semi-Independent Living, the Interim Care Model, and Short-Term Emergency Placement programs, and ensuring our agency meets the requirements of our DCJ contracts. This experience has provided me with strong leadership skills and a solid foundation in operational management and team development.

Commitment to Aboriginal Children’s Transition

I am deeply committed to supporting the transition of Aboriginal children into Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations. My role allows me to provide guidance, share knowledge, and advocate for culturally appropriate placements and services, ensuring the best outcomes for these children.

Educational and Professional Expertise

I hold a Bachelor of Social Science with majors in Psychology and Criminology from the University of New England, as well as a Diploma in Management. My academic background, combined with hands-on experience over 10 years, both in the Department and on the front line, equips me with a deep understanding of children’s services.

Representation for Small to Mid-Tier Organisations on the Board

I can bring strong representation for small to mid-tier organisations engaged in children’s services, particularly those operating in regional and/or remote New South Wales communities focused on out-of-home care, foster care, and youth and family services. This perspective is often underrepresented, and I believe my experience can help fill this gap. As a consequence I am confident I can contribute unique insights and representation to the board and drive meaningful change.

About

Portrait of Claire Robbs

Claire Robbs

Director

Claire is Chief Executive of Life Without Barriers (LWB), one of Australia’s most trusted not-for-profit organisations with services across Australia.

Claire is a skilled strategist, with over 25 years’ experience in the human services sector with a career that began in frontline services. This direct hands-on experience honed Claire’s ability to make critical decisions with a sharp relevance for practical, human centred implementation.

With a strong reputation in the social services sector and with government at state and federal levels, Claire is revered for her ability to collaborate and is a reliable voice and trusted expert.

About

Portrait of Simon Walsh

Simon Walsh

Director

As CEO of Allambi Care, Simon is the leader of a multi-disciplinary team of experts who hold extensive experience and knowledge in the out-of-home care, outreach, and disability industries, providing services to children, young people and families who live in the Hunter and Northern Rivers regions of NSW, and the South Melbourne and Gippsland regions of Victoria.  An experienced Company Director, he currently holds positions on the Boards of Allambi Care, the Association of Children’s Welfare Agencies (ACWA), the Association of Children’s Residential and Community Services (ACRC) (USA), and CYC-Net International (SA).

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