Stephen is a community service professional who has spent his entire career working with marginalized people.
As a Social Trainer Stephen worked in Early Intervention Services providing support to families with a child with a disability. His role encompassed family support therapy, and training parents and siblings on how to assist their family member to reach the necessary milestones for physical and emotional growth.
Throughout his career in disability support Stephen worked with adults with dual diagnosis who were transitioning from institutional living into community support programs. He has held Team Leader roles and is a qualified and accredited Work Place Trainer & Assessor Stephen has mentored and coached teams and individuals to better serve the people with whom they work.
In recent times Stephen transitioned from Disability Support to Palliative Care working with Silver Chain in Perth, Western Australia. His role was that of family support for people who chose to die with dignity in their own homes.
Stephen lived in Ubud, Bali for over three years volunteering with the Bali Animal Welfare Association. During this time he held the role of Community Educator, working with a team of local staff providing rabies education and information sessions to local villages and tourist groups. A part of this role was also supporting the team of international volunteers as they acclimatized to working within animal welfare in a foreign culture. It was during this time that he discovered a gift for working with abused and traumatized street animals.
In recent times Stephen has worked as a Community Outreach Worker with BOICO in Esperance, Western Australia. He has spent the past two years travelling between Indonesia and Darwin as he finalised a long standing community development project.
Stephen is the author of Nailing Water to a Wall a blog that reflects his personal experiences of journeying with people as they come to the end of their lives. www.nailingwatertoawall.com