Emily is a Care Leaver Mentor for Empower Change. Since graduating high school in 2016, Emily has completed her certificate four in community services. In 2015 she had her son, who has just started kindergarten. In 2016 pursued photography as a formal trade and experienced some of the most special moments between married couples and families but it still wasn't fulfilling her.

After her care experiences from the age of nine, a foster family friend mentioned for a job as a residential staff worker for Youth in Out Of Home Care.

Since then she has made a profession from her experiences. Fresh out of high school and only recently 18 she started to see from a staff members point of view what her childhood might have looked like to them. Her experiences quickly turned into an aggressive passion. She enrolled into her Certificate, and made a conscious effort to start making changes in her local area.

She started networking with CREATE Foundations as a Residential Staff Member, bringing Young People to their events in her region. Within months she was doing Speak Up training and attending FACS facilitations. It didn't stop exceeding her expectations. She started making some life long friends in Advocacy. Attended Advocate for Children and Young People conferences, and assisted CREATE on a number of occasions and events as a Young Consultant.

She now recognises her work as A National Advocate and Consultant for Children in Out of Home Care.

Approached by Adopt Change in 2019, meeting them in 2020 and appearing in their National Conference held online. From there I was asked by their CEO to become a Brand Ambassador and appeared in their TV Commercial late last year.

Also a Kindred Warrior for The Warrior Woman Foundation and have been short listed for The Advocate for Children and Young People 3 years running.

Emily is assured that this is her life work. She is content in working with the Community Services Sector for years to come as a voice and representation for Youth in similar situations.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-hikaiti-1494011ba/

https://www.facebook.com/Emilyannelorrainepaul

https://www.instagram.com/emily_hikaiti/?hl=en

Adopt Change believe that every child has the right to grow up in a safe, nurturing and permanent family home, and that all families need the appropriate supports for children to thrive.

Adopt Change work towards every child and young person having access to a safe, nurturing and stable family upbringing. They recognise the impact of childhood trauma, and provide a number of services and education so that children and families can be supported and thrive. They also work with government, sector and community to seek changes to legislation and policies to better provide for children and families.

Find out more at:

https://www.adoptchange.org.au/

https://www.facebook.com/AdoptChangeAU

https://www.instagram.com/adoptchangeau/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHbUn6jHDfCS3sHWhvJfsmw

https://twitter.com/AdoptChangeAU

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.