Ebony Marshall is the Executive Manager Early Intervention at Aboriginal Family Support Services, overseeing multiple therapeutic programs across both regional and metropolitan sites in South Australia, including Family Group Conferencing. With a strong commitment to culturally responsive and trauma-informed practice, Ebony leads her teams in delivering holistic support that strengthens families and promotes healing.
A proud Ngarrindjeri woman from Raukkan, Ebony brings deep cultural knowledge and a genuine passion for empowering Aboriginal families. She is dedicated to ensuring children remain safely connected to their families, culture, and communities.
Ebony’s leadership is grounded in integrity, accountability, and a vision for community-led change that supports long-term outcomes for Aboriginal families across the state.
Mesha is a committed Aboriginal Child Advocate who works alongside children, families, and community to ensure every child’s voice is heard and respected. With experience across education, case work, and family reunification, she supports families to come together in safe, culturally respectful ways that strengthen connection and belonging. As an Aboriginal woman raised in Port Augusta, she brings deep local knowledge, cultural understanding, and a trauma-informed approach to Family Group Conferencing. She is deeply committed to offering a strong and compassionate voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children—so that in every meeting and every decision, their hopes, culture, stories, and wellbeing are heard and honoured as central, not incidental.
Sarah is a highly skilled Child Advocate whose role within Family Group Conferencing is to ensure the child’s voice, safety, and lived experience are clearly heard and upheld. With extensive experience in positive behaviour support and working alongside children with complex, high, and diverse needs, she brings a strong understanding of trauma, disability, and developmental vulnerability into family decision-making processes. She supports families and professionals to better understand the underlying needs behind behaviours, advocating for responses that are compassionate, practical, and child-centred. Through a calm, trauma-informed approach, she creates space for the child’s perspective to guide conversations and outcomes, ensuring decisions are shaped by the child’s best interests, wellbeing, and right to be heard.
Shannon is a Child Advocate with a rare and genuine ability to connect with children in ways that help them feel safe, seen, and understood. With over ten years’ experience supporting children and young people across residential care, disability services, and community programs, she brings a calm, nurturing, and trauma-informed presence to Family Group Conferencing. Her role is to ensure the child’s voice is brought forward with care and clarity, particularly for children who may struggle to express their needs through words alone. Guided by a deep belief in healing through connection, she supports children and families to feel grounded and empowered, and holds a long-term vision of creating a therapeutic animal-assisted healing space where children can experience safety, trust, and recovery through nature and relationship.
Sharon is a proud Worimi woman and passionate Child Advocate, dedicated to ensuring that children’s voices are at the heart of every decision that affects them. She brings extensive cultural knowledge and a deep connection to community, understanding the vital importance of children maintaining ties to their family, culture, and community for a strong sense of identity and belonging.
In her work with Family Group Conferencing, Sharon guides families and professionals to listen to children with care and respect, making sure their hopes, experiences, and needs are heard, understood, and acted upon. Her background in Health, including supporting young Aboriginal mothers and contributing to the development of Pepipods for safe co-sleeping, demonstrates her commitment to practical, culturally safe solutions that nurture wellbeing.
Sharon also shares her expertise as a consultant lecturer at Flinders University, providing cultural education to nurses and other professionals, helping them understand the importance of culture, connection, and respect in supporting Aboriginal children and families. Grounded in empathy, cultural insight, and advocacy, Sharon works to empower children and families to make decisions together, ensuring that culture, family, and community remain at the centre of their lives.
Kristee is a proud Narungga, Adnyamathanha, Wirangu, and Ngarrindjeri woman and an experienced Family Group Conferencing Facilitator. She brings deep cultural knowledge, empathy, and a lived understanding of the ongoing impacts of the Stolen Generation and intergenerational trauma. Kristee is passionate about supporting families to come together, make decisions collaboratively, and uphold the safety, wellbeing, and cultural connection of their children—because she knows these connections are at the heart of a child’s identity and sense of belonging.
In her role, Kristee guides families through sensitive conversations with respect, care, and cultural insight, ensuring every voice is heard, including the children’s. Drawing on her experience as a Foster Care Assessment Officer, she is highly skilled in deep listening, helping families navigate complex situations while strengthening relationships and empowering them to lead decisions that honour both their children and their culture.
Maya is a deeply caring and compassionate Family Group Conferencing Facilitator who genuinely invests in the families she works with. She is passionate about empowering Aboriginal families to make their own decisions and work toward positive outcomes for their children, particularly in situations involving child protection.
Having spent much of her childhood in the Northern Territory, Maya grew up playing and connecting with children in Aboriginal communities, giving her a profound understanding of culture, community, and the importance of self-determination. She began her career as a volunteer, delivering learning and recreational programs in remote communities, and has since worked in a variety of roles supporting families and youth, including as a Youth Worker in residential care, a Student Support Worker with the Indigenous Youth Mobility Pathways Project, and a Foster Care Assessment Officer with AFSS.
Maya holds a Certificate IV in Community Services and a Certificate IV in Child, Youth, and Family Intervention, and brings not only cultural insight and strong facilitation skills, but also genuine warmth, empathy, and dedication. She works tirelessly to ensure families feel supported, heard, and empowered, and that children’s voices are always at the centre of decisions that affect them.
Tanya is a proud Arrernte woman and an experienced Family Group Conferencing Facilitator who brings extraordinary empathy, cultural understanding, and lived experience to her work with families. Born and raised in Alice Springs, Tanya carries a deep love for her home and the red dirt under her feet—a connection to country that guides her commitment to children, families, and culture.
Tanya’s life experiences give her a unique perspective and genuine compassion for families navigating complex challenges. In her role as a facilitator, she creates safe, respectful, and culturally informed spaces where families can come together, make decisions collaboratively, and ensure children’s voices are heard at every step. Her previous work as a volunteer at the DCP Elizabeth office and as a Kinship Worker supporting carers of children under guardianship has strengthened her ability to guide families with care, patience, and respect.
Holding a Certificate IV in Child, Youth, and Family Intervention and a Diploma in Community Services (Case Management), Tanya combines professional expertise with a heartfelt dedication to helping families stay connected to culture, community, and one another, ensuring that children remain at the center of every decision.
Shayla-Rose is a proud Pitjantjatjara and Arrernte woman living on Kaurna Country and a highly skilled Family Group Conferencing Facilitator with a kind, gentle, and empathetic approach. She brings extensive experience supporting Aboriginal children, families, and carers, and is deeply committed to ensuring that children’s voices, perspectives, and cultural connections are always at the centre of decision-making.
Having worked at AFSS as an Assessment Officer and Carer Liaison Officer, Shayla-Rose has built strong, respectful relationships with Elders, carers, families, and service providers. She has facilitated carer support groups, led community events, and delivered trauma-informed training, all while ensuring cultural knowledge informs every aspect of her work. Her experience includes supporting families from regional and remote communities, completing Specific Child Only assessments, and ensuring children’s views are accurately documented and heard in every process.
Shayla-Rose combines professional expertise in child development, attachment theory, and trauma-informed practice with her lived cultural knowledge to create safe, inclusive spaces where families feel respected and empowered. She is passionate about guiding families toward sustainable, positive outcomes and ensuring children remain connected to their culture, community, and identity.
Veronica is a Family Group Conferencing Facilitator and lifelong resident of Port Augusta who brings strong facilitation skills, cultural respect, and deep community connection to her work with families. With over ten years’ experience supporting Aboriginal children, young people, and families, she is skilled in guiding respectful, inclusive conversations and navigating complex family dynamics with care. She creates safe, culturally responsive spaces where children, parents, Elders, and service providers feel heard and supported, and where families are empowered to lead decision-making for their children. Grounded in empathy, collaboration, and trauma-informed practice, her facilitation supports families to come together, build shared understanding, and identify solutions that reflect their strengths, values, and aspirations.
Kylie is the Manager of the Family Group Conference (FGC) Program at Aboriginal Family Support Services, where she leads a passionate team dedicated to empowering Aboriginal families through culturally safe decision-making processes. With extensive experience in child protection, kinship care, and disability services, Kylie works to ensure children’s safety and wellbeing through family-led planning and support.
Kylie’s career in the sector began as an FGC Facilitator, where she collaborated closely with families, guiding them in making informed decisions about their children’s care. Her deep commitment to culturally respectful practices and family-driven approaches has been the foundation of her work, building strong relationships with families and external partners.
In her current role as Manager, Kylie oversees the FGC program, focusing on maintaining high standards and adapting the program to meet the evolving needs of families and communities.
Kylie’s qualifications include a Certificate IV in Child, Youth, and Family Intervention, and she is currently pursuing her studies in psychology. She continues to advance her professional knowledge, with a particular focus on Aboriginal-specific tools and frameworks to better serve the families she works with.
Kylie is proud to be part of a team that strengthens the support networks for Aboriginal families, helping ensure that children are raised in safe, nurturing environments while staying connected to their culture, community, and family.