Annette Jackson

Annette Jackson

Director Gippsland Region, Berry Street | Adjunct Associate Professor La Trobe University
Senior Fellow University of Melbourne Department of Psychiatry (current) | Bachelor of Social Work | Masters of Social Work - Thesis on family reunification | Certificate of Developmental Psychiatry | Creswick Fellow, 2004 | Child Trauma Fellow with the ChildTrauma Academy
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Annette has worked for over 30 years with infants, children, young people and their families where there has been severe hardship and adversity. Her work has predominantly been with children who have experienced severe child abuse and neglect, and their families, carers and service systems.

Annette had worked in child protection, out-of-home care, family preservation and therapeutic services with this population. She has worked in government (Child Protection), in non-government services (Berry Street, Canterbury Family Centre and Children’s Protection Society) and within an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency). 

Since 2003 Annette has worked with Berry Street in the Take Two program. Take Two is a statewide therapeutic service for child protection clients. Annette was the inaugural Research Manager, then become the Knowledge Manager (combining research and training) and then the Deputy Director. From 2011 to early 2016, Annette was the Director of Take Two.

Annette has been a Fellow with the ChildTrauma Academy in the US since 2006 and has led the implementation of the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT) within Take Two. The ChildTrauma Academy acknowledges that Annette has completed NMT Training Certification through the Phase II level. Annette is currently a co-mentor for new sites and individuals undergoing NMT certification.

In February 2016 Annette became the Senior Advisor for Trauma and Healing within the Berry Street Childhood Institute. This role was established to strengthen the Institute’s capacity to build and share knowledge about the impact of child trauma and the many pathways to healing. This role build’s on Annette’s experience as follows:

Annette is:

  • a practitioner – undertaking assessments, therapeutic work, and case consultations regarding children faced with highly complex problems.
  • a trainer and presenter – has presented at local, national and international conferences and provided workshops on trauma, attachment, child development, family reunification, child abuse and neglect, therapeutic responses, etc. 
  • a researcher – in collaboration with others has published a number of research reports and journal articles on topics such as Young People at High Risk, Aboriginal children’s Social and Emotional Wellbeing, Aboriginal young people Leaving Care, Family Reunification, Speech and Language needs for children exposed to trauma, and articles regarding the Take Two program. She is currently undertaking a PhD on the subject of childhood neglect. 
  • a senior manager and service developer – has extensive experience in senior management and has provided mentoring and training on leadership as well as undertaking program and systems consultations and service development projects with government and non-government organisations.