معرفی
Jemma Venables is a Senior Lecturer and Program Lead for the Master of Social Work Studies at the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, The University of Queensland, where she has been teaching since 2017. Her academic work bridges social work practice, policy implementation, and legal frameworks within child and family services.
Dr. Venables' research focuses on the complex interface between policy and practice in child protection systems, with particular expertise in statutory child protection, domestic and family violence, out-of-home care transitions, and inter-agency collaboration. Her work emphasizes justice principles and collaborative approaches across service systems, examining how young people navigate complex care arrangements, particularly those who 'self-place' in unapproved locations. She has developed significant expertise in understanding the experiences of young people with cognitive disabilities transitioning from statutory systems.
Her recent publications reveal a strong trend toward examining the rights and experiences of children in care, with increasing attention to cultural connection for Indigenous children, adolescent-to-parent violence in post-domestic violence contexts, and systemic mapping of extended out-of-home care policies. Her work consistently centers youth perspectives while analyzing structural barriers within child protection systems.
Dr. Venables currently leads multiple significant research projects including 'Empowering peer-parent and family advocacy in Australian child protection' (ARC Linkage Project 2025-2028) and 'Enhancing outcomes for young people in out-of-home care who self-place' (ARC Linkage Project 2024-2027). She serves as Principal Advisor for PhD candidates researching informal support networks for self-placing youth, harm-minimization approaches for youth in unapproved placements, and wellbeing in young cancer patients.
Her teaching practice integrates her research expertise, developing undergraduate and postgraduate courses that explore the critical intersection of law, policy, and social work practice, including innovative interdisciplinary approaches to preparing students for collaborative practice with legal professionals.
