A Decade of Impact – Lisa marks 10 years at OzChild

Featured | Posted June 21, 2024

To mark 10 years at OzChild, Dr Lisa J. Griffiths shares the highlights from her journey so far as Chief Executive Officer.

In 2024, Lisa Griffiths celebrates a decade as Chief Executive Officer at OzChild. We sat down with her to reflect on her highlights and discover what continues to drive her after 10 years in the role.

“Back in 2014, our landscape was vastly different. We were primarily Melbourne-based, with our Dandenong team operating out of a quaint house on Heatherton Road. Our efforts were concentrated in Dandenong and Frankston, supported by a contract with the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council, and we had a modest presence in Warrnambool,” Lisa recalls.

Fast forward to today, OzChild has dramatically expanded, recently celebrating the opening of our 19^th office in Ormeau, Queensland. This growth strengthens our national reach as we strive to expand our services in areas of greatest need.

“Reflecting on the past 10 years, I feel incredibly proud of our achievements and excited about what the next decade holds.

“When I first interviewed for this role, I vividly remember discussing with Helen Maxwell-Wright AM, our President, the ambitious vision for OzChild’s expansion beyond Victoria. This vision was a pivotal move towards a national focus and our steadfast commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child,” Lisa shares.

Decade of Impact: Lisa Griffiths’ top 10 defining moments from the past 10 years.

For the past decade, Lisa’s humble yet impactful leadership has been the guiding star for OzChild, steering the organisation through transformative growth and change. However, she is quick to redirect the spotlight to the collective spirit and relentless dedication of the team of people who have walked the journey alongside her.

Together, Lisa’s ambitious vision has been turned into a series of remarkable achievements, creating a ripple effect that extends far beyond OzChild, positively influencing the entire child and family welfare sector.

Join us as we delve into the triumphs that define Lisa’s relentless pursuit of what truly works for children and families.

Lisa’s Top 10

from the past 10 years

During Lisa’s first year while familiarising herself with the sector, she noticed that agencies were competing against each other for foster carer inquiries, which highlighted the challenges of recruitment. This prompted Lisa to consider a different approach. “The ultimate goal is the same for all of us: to place children and young people in safe, loving homes. I wanted to see a change that benefited everyone by providing all agencies with a unified brand.” Lisa then developed a business case for the government, which led to the creation of Fostering Connections. This joint initiative among foster care agencies across metropolitan and regional Victoria provides prospective carers with comprehensive information about becoming a foster carer. Read the full story here.

10 years ago, OzChild was relatively unknown within the sector operating a foster and kinship care program only in south-east Melbourne, and delivering a few family, disability, and law services in pockets around the state. “We weren’t known, seen or part of any sector meetings, nor did we have a seat at the table when it came to representation on ministerial committees – we had no presence other than within the small circles we delivered services in,” reflects Lisa. An appointment to the Ministers Advisory group in Victoria was a proud moment for Lisa, but also an opportunity for a shift in the conversation around child protection services in Victoria. “Conversation then did not focus on outcomes for kids but rather the number of children under the age of 12 who were living in residential care. I started to think about all the programs being delivered overseas that aimed to keep families together and wondered why there wasn’t more talk about investing in what was needed and what the evidence says works rather than only delivering what was available.” Read the full story here.

Driving a shift towards an evidence-based approach to reduce the number of children under 12 in residential care, OzChild partnered with the Victorian Government to implement the TFCO program for children aged 7-11. This initiative marked the beginning of our journey to not only shape an evidence-based service system for children and families but also to contribute to long-term cost savings for governments. “Shortly after launching TFCO, the OzChild Board made the bold decision to self-fund Functional Family Therapy – Child Welfare (FFT-CW). This move underscored our commitment to researching and piloting innovative, evidence-based service delivery models aimed at strengthening and preserving families,” Lisa explains. Read the full story here.

A Double Commonwealth Games Bronze Medallist in Judo (yes, really!), Lisa Griffiths exemplifies unwavering determination. After just two years as Chief Executive Officer, her drive to improve outcomes for children, young people, and families led to a significant shift in the organisation’s approach. “Introducing TFCO was a monumental step for us, one that might have seemed overly ambitious at the time. Now, eight years later, we are about to have our 100th child, graduate from the program, many referred from residential care. Reflecting on the risks, I can confidently say they were worth it. Only one of those 100 graduates has returned to residential care, a statistic that fills everyone at OzChild with immense pride,” Lisa remarks. Building on the success of TFCO and FFT-CW, OzChild introduced a range of evidence-based models to further support the child and family welfare sector, including SafeCare and Multisystemic Therapy. Read the full story here.

By now you’ve probably realised (if you didn’t already know!) that Lisa is firm believer in and advocate for collaboration, within the child and family welfare sector and beyond. “My entire working life, I have never been afraid to share what I know. The true mark of a leader is ensuring others are set up for success,” Lisa states. Driven by a constant desire to expand her knowledge and challenge herself, Lisa was awarded a Doctorate in Business Leadership in 2019 for her thesis on an Evidence-Based Ethical Leadership Model for the Community Services Sector. “This is an achievement I am incredibly proud of and one I always hoped would benefit everyone working to better support vulnerable children, young people, and their families,” says Lisa. As part of her Doctorate, Lisa developed the Leadership PASS program, aimed at building stronger and more effective leaders across all sectors. Read the full story here.

OzChild foster and kinship carers are the backbone of our organisation, and our communities. Meeting them, whether it be a chance meeting in the office, or at one of our annual carer dinners, is always a highlight for Lisa. Strengthening the support for our carers has been a top priority for Lisa since she joined OzChild 10 years ago. “One of the wonderful outcomes of our organisation’s growth is our increased capacity to invest in those caring for children and young people. Foster and kinship carers, our lead tenant volunteers, and specialised foster carers give so much of themselves, their families, and their hearts. We must ensure they are supported in every possible way.” Read the full story here.

In her first 12 months at OzChild, Lisa dedicated a lot of time to meeting people within the organisation, understanding their work, and identifying potential opportunities. “During this period, I remember walking through the marketing team’s office and noticing posters promoting a fundraising walk to Kokoda. The team had planned to take some supporters to walk the Kokoda Trail, so I asked them, ‘Who’s on the list?'” At that point, no one had signed up. Without hesitation, Lisa did what she does best—she led by example. She committed to walking the Kokoda Trail herself and raising as much money as possible for OzChild. Read the full story here.

The devastation of the 2019-20 summer bushfires felt like a distant memory when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020. Yet, the impact and lives lost were far from forgotten. “At the time, we couldn’t grasp the full scale of the destruction and loss, nor could we foresee the challenges 2020 would bring as the pandemic brought the world to a standstill,” remembers Lisa. Throughout most of 2020 and 2021, our lives were dominated by COVID-19. Worry, loneliness, financial stress, fatigue, depression, and disruption affected us all. This prompted Lisa to reflect, “This ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ feeling for many of us is the everyday reality for at-risk children, young people, and families across Australia who live with constant displacement and uncertainty.” The pandemic significantly increased the risk of families being separated and children entering care. Families were at breaking point, disadvantaged by a virus that impacted us all—individually, socially, and economically. This stark reality motivated Lisa, the executive leadership team, the board, and our incredible staff to step up, like never before, ensuring we could support those who were facing such vulnerable times. Read the full story here.

In 2021, OzChild proudly marked its 170th anniversary—a remarkable milestone in the organisation’s long history. “It’s not often we get the chance to be part of an organisation that is 170 years old, and I thank every single person who has made OzChild the wonderful organisation it is today,” reflects Lisa, highlighting the significance of this achievement. Marking such a milestone year came with its challenges. In Victoria, our staff, carers, and the children, young people, and families we supported endured 262 days in lockdown. Other states experienced less prolonged lockdowns, but the toll was equally taxing. “The plans we had to celebrate were short-lived as restrictions changed frequently and without much warning,” Lisa recalls. Despite these challenges, we managed to gather some members of the Victorian OzChild family in May 2021 for a special event at Government House. “Thankfully, staff, carers, volunteers, and many partners and supporters were able to join us. I remember standing to the side of the room that night, looking across at the many faces and being filled with pride to be surrounded by so many people who have shared a small part of our journey,” Lisa says. Read the full story here.

“I have the privilege of being a custodian of OzChild, and it’s my job to leave it in a better position than when I found it. If I can achieve that and keep pushing for even greater progress, then I will be truly fulfilled,” says Lisa, as she looks ahead, her role in leading the necessary changes for OzChild remains crucial. Lisa acknowledges the growing over-representation of First Nations children and young people in out-of-home care and the justice system. “The evidence is clear: we are not delivering what works for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We must change our approach,” she states. The current outcomes across the sector are not meeting the needs of these communities. “We need to be on the right side of history and support our First Nations communities and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations by ensuring they have the funding and opportunities to deliver the programs they know are right for their communities,” Lisa emphasises. Lisa believes that real change can only be achieved by creating a level playing field. “We can’t assume we can do things better than other providers until they have the resources to try themselves. We must create a level playing field. That’s the only way to achieve real change,” she insists. Read the full story here.

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