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About Us

Our Staff

Prue Warrilow CEO of ARACY

Prue Warrilow

CEO

Simon Factor

Executive Convenor - Investment Dialogue for Australia's Children

Michael Hogan

convenor - thriving queensland kids partnership
Amara Bains - ARACY Technical Lead Insights and Learning

Amara Bains

Technical Lead, Insights and Learning
Barbara_Barker - ARACY Research Manager

Barbara Barker

Research Manager
Harriet Daly - ARACY Executive Assistant

Harriet Daly

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Nicole Deen

Lead, capacity building
Liz Depers - ARACY Partnership and Engagement Officer

Liz Depers

​Policy & Engagement Officer

Diana Harris

lead, operations
Josie_Horne

Josie Horne

Administration Officer
Dr Kristy Noble - ARACY Senior Policy and Projects Officer

Kristy Noble

Senior Policy & Projects Officer
Lauren Renshaw - ARACY Senior Research & Policy Officer

Lauren Renshaw

Senior Research & POlicy Officer
Kirrin Sampson - ARACY Senior Project Officer

Kirrin Sampson

Senior Project officer
Thivya Supramaniam - ARACY Policy and Projects Officer

Thivya Supramaniam

Policy & projects Officer
Annmarie Thomas - ARACY Program Officer

Annmarie Thomas

Program Officer
Melissa Toms - ARACY Communications Officer

Melissa Toms

Communications Officer

Adam Valvasori

Lead, advocacy

ABOUT US

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Who We Are

ARACY’s purpose is to champion all Australian children and young people to thrive. Find out more about our mission.

Our Board

ARACY is a not-for-profit company, governed by a Board of Directors. Meet our Board Members.

Our Partners

Partnering with ARACY means joining a vibrant network of people and organisations committed to making a tangible difference. Meet our Partners.

Annual Reports

The ARACY Annual Report provides an overview of the organisation’s financial and operational activities. FInd them here.

ARACY's The Nest

What's in The Nest?

With six connected areas, The Nest ensures young Australians have everything they need for the best start in life, helping them reach their highest potential.

Our Nest projects

Using The Nest, has helped ARACY to be at the forefront of disease prevention and the promotion of holistic health for young Australians.

The Nest initiatives

Here you’ll see some examples of how The Nest has been used in organisations outside of ARACY across Australia.

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ARACY acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their ​enduring connection to the lands, waters, and skies. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 
​
In solidarity, ARACY supports the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the need for truth-telling about the history and impact of colonisation. We treasure the rich and diverse cultures and customs of First Nations people – valued knowledge holders, leaders and partners in creating the conditions for all our children to thrive. 

“Set an imagination agenda for our classrooms, remove the limited thinking around our disadvantage, stop looking at us as a problem to fix, set us free to be the solution and give us the stage to light up the world”  – Imagination Declaration (2019)

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Prue Warrilow - ARACY CEO

Prue Warrilow

CEO

Prue has a distinguished background in child and youth policy and service delivery, having served as interim CEO of Youth NSW and founded Families At Work. With over 30 years of experience consulting in work/life wellbeing strategies for corporate, government, and non-profit sectors in Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore, Prue brings unique insights into human resources, diversity, and governance.

Her leadership roles include Chair of Families Australia and the Y NSW, and she actively participates in state and federal advisory councils influencing child and family wellbeing policies. Prue’s dedication to enhancing children’s lives is reflected in her extensive contributions to public policy and her strategic, solution-oriented approach to her work.

Prue enjoys walking, staying fit and is a bit of a foodie.

Amara Bains - ARACY Technical Lead Insights and Learning

Amara Bains

Tech Lead, Insights & Learning

Amara brings over 25 years’ experience in senior management in Australian and international organisations across a variety of sectors including humanitarian aid, international development, mental health and community development. She has led culturally diverse and geographically dispersed teams to develop and implement programs in disaster management, health, community and organisational development ranging from <$250K to over $70m.

At ARACY, Amara combines her expertise in strategic thinking, evaluation and working in complexity with a reflective practice on past ‘unsuccesses’ to bring decolonisation and intergenerational justice into systems change.

Inspired by Audre Lorde, Amara works on new ‘tools’ for a new house.

Barbara_Barker - ARACY Research Manager

Barbara Barker

Social Researcher

Barbara is an experienced social researcher with a strong background in sociology and demography. She elevates the voices and lived experiences of children, families, and communities to inform and influence systems change in policy and practice.

Starting her career at the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Barb has significant skills in mixed methods data collection which are utilised extensively in ARACY’s Knowledge Translation projects.
She has been recognised in particular for her work in Parent and Family Engagement, now utilised in schools across Australia to improve student outcomes.

Barb is a crazy plant lady who enjoys volunteering at the National Arboretum’s bonsai collection. She is a proud Mum to a strapping teenager and cheeky beagle.

Harriet Daly - ARACY Executive Assistant

Harriet Daly

CHIEF DIARY WRANGLER & LOGISTICS EXPERT

Harriet works from ARACY’s Canberra HQ and is the go-to person for diary-wrangling, meeting coordination, proofreading / editing, travel booking, event planning and many other duties requiring requiring a steel hand in a velvet glove. (or: requiring accuracy, calm and grace).

After graduating from the University of Sydney with Honours in French and English, Harriet worked in the music industry in the UK.  She is a fully credited Homeopath and experienced school administrator. 

In her free time, Harriet enjoys yoga, singing, spoon carving, reading and, with both her children in successful bands, she can still be found in mosh pits around the country on a regular basis.

Nicole Deen - ARACY Lead, Capability Building

Nicole Deen

Capability Champion

Nicole Deen is ARACY’s Lead for Capacity Building. Along with her team, she designs and facilitates professional and organizational development opportunities that aim to foster collaboration and enhance child wellbeing across diverse sectors.

With a Masters in International and Community Development, Nicole brings 20 years’ experience working with not-for-profit organisations and local government, including ten years based in Asia, the Pacific and South America. She is passionate about engaging people in experiences that generate new ideas and insights, challenge the status quo and encourage everyone’s voice to be heard.

Nicole’s the proud mum of one daughter and a cuddly puppy.

Liz Depers - ARACY Partnership and Engagement Officer

Liz Depers

Engagement Queen

Liz Depers blends her unique dual qualifications in Early Childhood Teaching and Nursing with over 20 years of diverse experience to advocate for children’s wellbeing. Having worked across all stages of the life spectrum from birth to supporting end of life care, Liz’s varied career spans from educator in ECEC to leadership and management roles in large non-profits.

At ARACY, Liz leads the planning and delivery of engaging webinars and drives informed decision-making through collaboration and insight gathering. Liz is passionate about leveraging evidence and data to effect change.

Outside of work, you can find her enjoying live music, sipping coffee, or soaking up the local beaches.

Diane Harris - ARACY Lead, Operations

Diana Harris

Lead, Operations

Diana Harris is ARACY’s Lead for Operations. Her responsibilities include oversight of internal operations, delivery of ARACY’s Strategic Plan, governance and reporting, and managing delivery and risk.
Diana’s career has encompassed local and federal government, community engagement, policy development, program delivery and management consultancy.

She is a well-regarded program leader and performance professional with international experience in children’s and community policy, including the implementation of Getting it Right For Every Child in the Scottish Borders and Neighbourhood Partnerships for City of Edinburgh Council.

Diana is raising two amazing neurodivergent kids, loves reading fantasy and YA, and is the sole cat person at ARACY.

Josie_Horne

Josie Horne

Team Wrangler

Collaborating across ARACY teams, Josie is an Administrative Officer based in Canberra. Working primarily within the Capacity Building Team, Josie is focused upon managing daily operations of The Common Approach Learning Management System and providing technical support for online workshops.

Josie is in her third year of a Bachelor of International Relations and a Bachelor of Arts. She is particularly interested in exploring the intersections between language, human rights and culture, aligning with ARACY’s promotion of a common language for child wellbeing. 

Outside of work, Josie enjoys peaceful runs in nature, hosting dinner parties with friends.

Dr Kristy Noble - ARACY Senior Policy and Projects Officer

Dr Kristy Noble

Youth Health Advocate

Kristy is a medical doctor with an interest in public health. She holds a medical degree from The University of Sydney and is undertaking a dual Masters in Public Health/Global Health. Kristy’s experiences in rural and remote medicine, as well as international settings (including Vietnam and Kenya), have cultivated her passion for health inequities, particularly the effects of social and political determinants on health.

Aside from her role as Policy and Projects Officer at ARACY, Kristy works in Emergency Medicine at a regional NSW hospital. Kristy enjoys spending time with her five-year-old daughter, playing Oztag, and nurturing her veggie garden!

Lauren Renshaw - ARACY Senior Research & Policy Officer

Lauren Renshaw

Middle Years Policy Expert & Researcher

Since joining ARACY in 2017, Lauren has worked on projects like a review of children’s identity and an evidence review for the National Early Language and Literacy Strategy.

Before ARACY, she spent over eight years at the Australian Institute of Criminology, focusing on human trafficking, slavery, and crime research. Lauren co-authored a key report on young people’s bail and remand and led studies on workplace exploitation and justice issues.

She’s passionate about using research to inform policy and has experience in both qualitative and quantitative methods.

Kirrin Sampson - ARACY Senior Project Officer

Kirrin Sampson

Purveyor of Programming and Partnerships

Kirrin is most at home making connections – between people, projects, and ideas. She advocates professionally and personally for the importance of the early years in human development.

She has many years’ experience in education, professional community development, advocacy, and program and product management in both for profit and not for profit sectors. She is currently working on developing and supporting capacity building programs and a range of partnerships for ARACY.

Her secret CV includes expertise in Australian children’s picture books, being an award-winning florist, and give her a call if you need your cattle artificially inseminated.

Thivya Supramaniam - ARACY Policy and Projects Officer

Thivya Supramaniam

Justice/ Human Rights/ Legal Expert

Thivya is a qualified lawyer with experience in the community legal sector, bringing a blend of legal insight and project management to her work in ARACY’s Knowledge Translation Team.

Driving meaningful change with evidence-based narratives, Thiv translates complex evidence and research into accessible reports, submissions, and strategic recommendations to inform policy and practice, positively impacting Australia’s children.

When not immersed in policy frameworks and data, Thiv can be found exploring farmers’ markets, experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen, or enjoying the vibe at music festivals and stand-up comedy shows.

Annmarie Thomas - ARACY Program Officer

Annmarie Thomas

Common Approach Training Techie

Annmarie is passionate about wellbeing and advocacy for young people. She feels strongly about injustices and systemic failures that discriminate against those who are not privileged. With a background in education and disability, Annmarie has had the opportunity to work closely with professionals from various sectors.

She has taught across all age groups and in a wide range of settings. Annmarie values helping other professionals improve their practice and systems.

A feisty Scottish woman who loves living in Australia, she enjoys building Lego to relax and displaying her creations at Lego exhibitions.

Melissa Toms - ARACY Communications Officer

Melissa Toms

Communications Wizard

Melissa is a champion for children’s wellbeing, a strategic communicator, and a creative problem solver at ARACY. With a foundation in graphic design and business administration, she expanded her expertise by earning a Graduate Certificate in Early Years Education in 2023, reinforcing her passion for education. Melissa excels in developing research-backed marketing strategies, data-driven analysis, and crafting impactful content for both digital and print platforms.

She is motivated by connecting with diverse audiences, creating learning experiences, and collaborating with teams to drive positive, tangible results that make a difference in children’s lives.

Fun fact: Melissa is also an avid photographer and loves capturing the beauty of nature in her free time!

Adam Valvasori - ARACY Lead, Advocacy, Communications and Engagement

Adam Valvasori

Champion of Change

Adam is an experienced advocacy and communications expert with a strong focus on innovative and collaborative social and environmental justice campaigns. With a diverse background spanning Australian business, government, national and international NGOs, Adam has successfully led major coalition initiatives, including the Campaign for Australian Aid, Kids Off Nauru, and Know Your Country.

Adam represents ARACY in various advocacy campaigns including Victoria’s Smart Justice for Young People coalition and the Raise The Age campaign.

He can eat his own body weight in pasta and rolls the best gnocchi in town – which is Melbourne!