Louise Oliaro PhD

Dr. Oliaro has a background in child protection, having worked across a range of programs, including being the first court support worker in Victoria and a member of the first SIPW team. She has worked as a registered mental health practitioner with both adults and children, as well as running a social work recruitment company. Louise was originally employed at Monash as a member of the fieldwork team, then moved on to teach in a range of units, including human development, group work and the skill based units. After 8 years with the Department Louise left to undertake a Grad Dip in Education as a way of gaining further insight into the educational system. She has worked within primary schools for the past 6 years both as a teacher and a supervisor of social work students. She is currently undertaking a range of school based research projects including: the evaluation of cognitive based programs within primary schools, exploring the use of social work services within the Australian school setting and the experiences of International students undertaking Australian based tertiary studies. Her PhD established her as an expert in this field with a focus on educational standards in the delivery of social work courses. Over the years, this interest and focus has expanded to include the use of social work in educational settings. This focus has allowed Louise to develop expertise in her two key passions: youth and education.