Our Assessors

All Consultants employed by Kim Nixon Consulting (KNC), have extensive, relevant and current knowledge and experience in the human services field across the range of services offered by KNC. You can click on their CV's below to learn more about our assessors.

The majority of our staff are approved Independent Assessors following successful appointment to the panel of assessors through the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) tender process. All of our consultants have had prior experience in DCJ and have a comprehensive understanding of the NSW statutory child protection system, including the requirements of the Children's Court, the NSW Ombudsman and the Office of the Children's Guardian. A number of our staff are skilled in adoption assessments, Family Group Conferencing, Step by Step Assessments and Training ,and Therapeutic Life Story work. Our agency holds contracts with a number of large Funded Service Providers

KNC currently has three Aboriginal staff members, Jade Morgan, Stephanie Williams and another staff member new to the agency. KNC are keen to continue to support and enhance the number of Aboriginal Independent Assessors across NSW.

Keep scrolling down to see each of our assessors and for more information about their diverse industry experience click on "See assessor's CV" for each assessor.

Jane Ley

Jane has worked with children and families for over 30 years and her qualifications include a Master of Social Work (PQ), Diploma of Statutory Child Protection and Bachelor of Social Science.

Jane is an Independant Assessor registered with Department of Communities and Justice and has conducted a range of assessments pertaining to children, carers and families since 2015. Jane’s assessments are informed by her experience gained working in the areas of child protection, sexual assault, complex trauma, relative care, early intervention and childcare.

Jane has worked within government and funded service providers in roles including child protection and out of home care caseworker for Department of Communities and Justice, child protection counsellor and sexual assault counsellor with NSW Health and as a coordinator of support, educational and resource projects for young parents and relative carers.

Jane is committing to ensuring the voices of children and young people are included in decision making and strives to develop recommendations that meet their best interests. Jane is a member of the Australian Association of Social Workers

see Jane's CV

Tavish Golaszewski

Tavish has completed her Bachelor of Social Work (Honours), holds a Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Diploma of Management.

Tavish’s industry work experience in government and non-government sectors, spans more than 16 years including child protection, out of home care and adoption in both Australia and the United Kingdom.

Tavish is motivated and committed to the delivery of high-quality work with a significant focus on permanency and relationship development with service users and stakeholders.

Tavish is currently registered through Department of Communities and Justice NSW as an Independent Assessor completing adoption, guardianship and family restoration assessment through Kim Nixon Consulting.

Tavish is also a trained registered adoption counsellor and reportable conduct investigator and is a member of the Australian Association of Social Workers.

see Tavish's CV

Kt Harvey

Kt has over 30 year experience in both the health and child protection sectors. Kt is a trained as a psychiatric nurse and gained extensive experience in a range of clinical positions in the fields of Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment, Mental Health and Child Protection.

She is Registered Mediator and Master Trainer in Motivational Interviewing. Kt has held senior clinical positions as a Clinical Nurse Consultant, Nursing Unit Manager of AOD Services, a Clinical Consultant on Drug and Alcohol, Mental Health and Domestic Violence Interventions for Family and Community Services and a Child Wellbeing Coordinator. In 2019 Kt also worked with the Ministry of Health to manage the State-wide Substance Use in Pregnancy and Parenting Service Project. She now works in private practice as a consultant. Kt is Past President of the Drug & Alcohol Nurses of Australasia (DANA).

Kt has worked extensively within the Department of Communities and Justice establishing the Drug and Alcohol Expertise Unit and then, The Clinical Issues Unit. Kt worked for 3 years as the sole consultant to Aboriginal Intensive Family Based (IFBS) services and undertook training in HomeBuilders Training Model and Family Group Conferencing.

For the past 22 years Kt has developed a unique understanding of the complexities of working with Aboriginal communities, understanding child protection issues and trauma informed practice when working with families impacted by alcohol and other drug use including a deep understanding of the implications of substance use and mental health and the impact on parenting and child development She is regularly invited to conduct training for Local Health Districts and non-government organisations on substance use in pregnancy, child awareness and child protection, AOD use and management of domestic violence issues. Kt is a member of is a member of the Australian Community Workers Association.

see Kt's CV

Stephanie Williams

Steph is a proud Birpi woman who grew up on Dharuk country and now works and lives on Dharawal land. With over a decade of experience in the Child Protection sector, Steph has a wealth of knowledge and skills, ranging from out-of-home care operations management, training, quality assurance and permanency consultation. Her qualifications in the community service sector, leadership, neuroscience coaching, and positive psychology further enhance her capabilities.

Steph has commenced working with Kim Nixon Consulting, as an Independent Assessor, focusing on kinship care, permanency, parenting capacity, guardianship, and authorised carer assessment and reviews. She understands the importance of creating a safe and supportive environment for families to ensure they feel comfortable in sharing their story and she is passionate about helping to ensure vulnerable children have a safe and secure future.

Steph has a strong commitment to social justice and advocates for ensuring that children remain connected to their kin and culture. She makes sure that the voices of those who cannot speak for themselves are heard and that they get the best possible outcomes.

see Stephanie's CV

Brenda Murtagh

Brenda has a Master of Social Science (Child and Youth Studies) and a Bachelor of Social Science (Sociology) degree. Brenda has been working in the field since 2005. Brenda has worked within the Department of Communities and Justice in child protection, out-of-home-care and carer support. Brenda worked as a Regional Adoptions Caseworker from 2008 until 2013.

Brenda is an approved Independent Assessor for the Department of Communities and Justice and an approved Registered Adoption Counsellor.

Brenda is currently self-employed as an Independent Assessor with Kim Nixon Consulting, practicing in adoption, kinship care, permanency, parenting capacity, guardianship and authorised carer assessments. Brenda is a registered user of Step by Step assessments through the Associations of Children’s Welfare Agencies (ACWA). Brenda holds a membership with Australian Community Workers Association.

see Brenda's CV

Liberty Tannous

Liberty Tannous has a Bachelor of Social Work degree and is a registered member of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). Liberty is an approved independent assessor with DCJ and performs complex child welfare assessments for government and non-government agencies.

Liberty has been a qualified social worker for 26 years and has worked in child protection, leaving care and after care services, out of home care, women and children’s health, sexual assault, domestic violence, corrective services and homelessness for the entirety of those years. Liberty has been performing child welfare assessments for over 15 years and works with families to achieve permanency outcomes for children in out of home care.

Liberty is an approved adoptions assessor and also performs guardianship assessments. Liberty performs a wide range of out of home care assessments as well as reportable conduct assessment. Liberty specialises in child focused assessments, where children are part of the decision-making process and their needs and rights are upheld.

see Liberty's CV

Wendy Pezzutti

Wendy has a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of New South Wales. She has worked with the Department of Communities and Justice in child protection, out of home care, as well as early intervention roles. Wendy has been working in the field for over 15 years. She is an approved Independent Assessor for the Department of Communities and Justice, an approved adoptions assessor, and is registered as a Step-by-Step assessor through The Association of Children’s Welfare Agencies.

Wendy has experience in and enjoys conducting a variety of out of home care assessments, including, guardianship assessments, complex carer assessments, relative kinship carer assessments, restoration assessments and foster care assessments.

Wendy is passionate about the work she does and strives to deliver thorough, high-quality assessments, to ensure the best outcome for children and young people in out of home care.

Wendy is a member of the Australian Association of Social Workers.

see Wendy's CV

Moira Mallaby

Moira holds a Bachelor of Arts (Welfare Studies) and a Masters in Social Work (Qualifying).

Moira has 25 years of experience in child protection and out of home care, including 20 years of experience with NSW Department of Communities and Justice in a range of positions, including management, specialising in child protection, out-of-home care and restoration. Moira continues to support this work by marking DCJ CDP work. Moira also works as a tutor and a placement supervisor for Southern Cross University.

Moira has been an independent assessor since 2020 and has provided other social work consultancy work for NSW Department of Communities and Justice, Queensland Child Safety, and non-government agencies. Moira is contracted as an independent assessor for Kim Nixon Consulting, carrying out a range of out of home care assessments. Moira is registered as a Step by Step assessor through The Associations of Children's Welfare Agencies and has been training in Shared Lives.

Moira is a member of the Australian Association of Social Workers. Moira's focus is for children and young people to have permanency in a loving, safe environment which meets their ongoing needs.

Moira is a member of the Australian Association of Social Workers.

see Moira's CV

Angie Kohen

Angie holds a Bachelor of Science in Social Work (Honours) and a Diploma in Systemic Supervision for Multiple Contexts of Social Care, Health, Mediation and the Voluntary Sector. She has been qualified for over 17 years and has worked predominantly in the statutory child protection sector with children and families in NSW and the United Kingdom including the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ).

Angie has held positions as a frontline social worker, manager and domestic violence specialist and has worked extensively with asylum seekers, unaccompanied minors and children and adults with disabilities. She is experienced in undertaking complex child welfare and child protection investigations, parenting and restoration assessments and a wide range of out of home care permanency assessments.

Angie is also an approved Independent Assessor for the DCJ and is a member of the Australian Association of Social Workers. She is committed to ensuring the best possible outcome for children and young people in out of home care and achieves this by delivering comprehensive, high-quality assessments that help inform the decision making in children and families lives.

see Angies's CV

Jaclyn Spear

Jaclyn is a Social Worker with 25 years experience working with children and families. Jaclyn has worked in early intervention, child protection, out of home care and restoration in NSW and the United Kingdom, and has also completed a secondment as an Early Childhood Social Worker with NSW Health.

Jaclyn’s roles within the NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) include middle and senior management, project positions, and 15 years as a Casework Specialist with the Office of the Senior Practitioner. Jaclyn is passionate about best practice and has won a Sydney leadership award for implementation of the NSW Practice Framework.

Jaclyn is committed to supporting children in out of home care and ensuring they have a voice. Jaclyn played a key project role in quality assurance for accreditation standards during her time with DCJ in both metro and rural offices.

For 5 years Jaclyn was the primary consultant for the Sydney Metropolitan Joint Child Protection Response Program (JCPRP), often supported Far West NSW JCPRP (both remotely and in person) and has experience engaging with remote Aboriginal communities through this work. Jaclyn also briefly managed both the Sydney Metropolitan and Far West JCPRP units in an executive role. Jaclyn specialised in responding to and supporting the management of critical incidents and as a result developed a facilitators group debriefing guide for JCPRP and DCJ District staff.

Jaclyn has extensive experience in assessing physical injuries, and has presented at the 2020 International Conference on Shaken Baby Syndrome/Abusive Head Trauma around working with parents after a non-accidental injury. Jaclyn is a member of the Australia Association of Social Workers.

see Jaclyn's CV

Maggie Feneley

Margaux has a Master of Social Work, a Master of Teaching and a Bachelor of Arts degree. She worked with the Department of Communities and Justice for 13 years in child protection, out of home care, and early intervention roles.

She has held management roles and worked as a casework specialist for the Office of the Senior Practitioner. Margaux has also worked in the non government sector where she undertook adoption and permanency work for children in out of home care.

Margaux holds qualifications in Family Group Conferencing and also has a keen interest in therapeutic work. She holds a Diploma in Counselling and is currently completing specific studies in Therapeutic Life Story Work. Margaux is also a member of the Australian Association of Social Workers.

see Maggie's CV

Jennifer Castle

Jennifer has a Bachelor of Social Science degree from the University of Newcastle and is a member of the Australian Community Workers Association (ACWA). She also holds a Private Investigator Licence, after completing a Certificate III in Investigative Services from the Professional Investigators College of Australasia.

Jennifer’s extensive experience in child protection commenced in 2007, when she joined the then NSW Department of Community Services. Jennifer occupied a diverse range of positions within the Department, including as a Caseworker, Casework Specialist, Manager Casework, Project Officer in the Department’s Child Deaths and Critical Review Unit and Permanency Coordinator, supporting permanency being achieved for children and young people in out of home care. She also occupied Caseworker and Acting Manager Casework roles in the Joint Child Protection Response Program (formerly Joint Investigation Response Team). These roles have spanned both metro and rural locations, providing Jennifer with an understanding of the issues around accessing appropriate resources in rural areas to support children and their families.

After leaving the Department of Communities and Justice in 2022, Jennifer transferred her skills and knowledge to the independent schools’ sector, conducting reportable conduct investigations and providing child protection advice and consultancy to school principals and their staff. Jennifer joined Kim Nixon Consulting as an assessor in 2023.

see Jennifer's CV

Daniel Culhane

Daniel has been a Social Worker for over 25 years and is passionate about children’s rights and the empowerment of people with disabilities. His formal qualifications include a Bachelor of Social Work (1995) and a Masters of Management - Community Management (2016).

With experience across the community service sector Daniel has worked in Government roles including policy and project work in NSW Health and the Department of Family and Community Services and has extensive experience managing service operations in Not For Profit organisations. More specifically Daniel has managed multidisciplinary services for children and adults with an intellectual disability, complex needs and mental health issues. His practice experience includes working with children, child protection in Australia and the UK, and experience supporting adults dealing with sudden serious injury and bereavement.

Daniel is currently a senior manager in human services with recent experience managing foster care operations, and conducting relative/kinship and restoration assessments. He is trained in Step By Step foster care, restoration and kinship assessments. Daniel is member of the Australian Association of Social Workers.

see Daniel's CV