Our Volunteers
We recognise the importance of a solid volunteer base and we prioritise volunteer engagement and recruitment. This helps us to deliver programs and services effectively and fulfil our mission.
Maggie – Volunteer Family Support Worker
Maggie has a background in Early Childhood Education, working both in Victoria and for 34 years in Tasmania. Her main area of interest in Tasmania has been in the area of early childhood intervention and family counselling and has been lucky to work in a family partnership model with many families within the Early Childhood Intervention Service Hobart.
After retiring ESP gave her an opportunity to volunteer in a family based support service and continue using her professional training and passion for supporting families.
Tristan – Volunteer IT and Admin
Tristan began volunteering for Early Support for Parents after identifying a desire for a career change and wanting to bring together his passion for IT related work with his day to day work.
Tristan brings to Early Support for Parents a keen interest in coding and website development.Tristan loves spending time with his pet cat, watching sitcom re-runs and enjoying a good coffee.
Our Operational Team
Drawing on our proficiency in community services management, program and project management, and business operations, we have conducted extensive research to develop a detailed roadmap for Early Support for Parents – Operations.
Marian – Program Manager
Marian is an exceptional Program Manager with a proven track record in designing, implementing, and assessing programs that offer essential support to parents and families in Southern Tasmania. Marian’s dedication is crucial to ensuring our programs run smoothly and successfully while maintaining strong connections with community partners, supports and stakeholders.
I hold a deep passion for the need to provide strong connection and support to everyone in our community raising a child; raising a family should not be a task done in isolation, and by fostering narratives on wider levels about this we can create long term community change.
Rachael – Administration Officer
As a strategic planner and project manager, Rachael is a skilled professional who excels in developing comprehensive approaches to decision-making, ensuring projects align with our goals and objectives.
Rachael supports Marian to ensure initiatives are executed smoothly, efficiently and within established timelines and budgets.
The most rewarding aspect of my work is the knowledge that our projects and services directly contribute to the well-being of families and children. Seeing the positive impact of our efforts on the lives of those we support is incredibly fulfilling.
Our Board and Executives
We support a robust strategic governance framework to guide decision-making, ensuring a strong foundation for Early Support for Parents’ success.
President – Janet
Janet has been a teacher during most of her adult life; for 6 years with primary school children and 22 years with adults at TAFE. She has three children and 4 grandchildren. She has had a strong connection with family and youth organisations: for 40 years as a counsellor in Australian Breastfeeding Association, in the Child Health Association and later as a leader in the Tasmanian Scout Association for 25 years. She is still a member of them. Through these organisations she realised how important it was to support families and in 1989 a group of like-minded women from Midwifery, Child Health and ABA saw the need to give many families that extra support . They applied for money and now ESP has been going for over 30 years enabling many parents and children to have easier lives. Outside ESP and her counselling role, She has been in our local Landcare group, and loves reading, gardening and music in between caring for grandchildren.
Public Officer – Sally
Sally has five children ranging in ages from 37 years down to 15 although only the youngest is still at school and living at home. She has volunteered with and benefited from community organisations with a family focus for many years, including the Nursing Mothers Association of Australia/Australian Breastfeeding Association, Police and Citizens Youth Club, First Queenstown Scouts, as well as her children’s playgroups and various schools. Sally lived in Queenstown, Tasmania, for nearly 20 years and it was there that she raised and educated her older children. On moving back to Hobart in 2007, one of the main things that struck her was the isolation of many families; this did not really happen in a small town where everyone knew everyone’s business. She joined Early Support for Parents as it seemed to be one way to fill that gap by encouraging vulnerable families through periods of isolation or other difficulties. Indeed, in the absence of supportive extended families and communities, ESP offers understanding and reassurance that can help families move forward.
My primary areas of expertise are listening and discerning. This is important as I believe it is important to try and have an understanding about where people, especially families and children, have come from and where they are at now.