Supporting children and young people with disability experiencing family violence

Dr Liz Hudson has over two decades of experience in disability, mental health and community service leadership, with demonstrated expertise in research, advocacy and inclusive practice. Liz currently serves as Policy and Research Manager at Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA), where she leads a team delivering systemic advocacy and inclusive research. She manages policy and research projects focused on disability rights, with responsibility for team leadership, funding acquisition, and stakeholder engagement, including with government. Liz holds a PhD in the social sciences, awarded through a scholarship jointly supported by RMIT University and the Victorian Council of Social Services. Her doctoral research critically examined barriers faced by people with psychosocial disability transitioning to the NDIS, with a focus on systemic discrimination and exclusion. Her research portfolio spans inclusive education, recovery-oriented mental health services, employment and disability policy – often through academic-community partnerships.

Lucy Solonsch (she/they) is a passionate queer, disabled young (…ish) person with six years of experience working to create systems change across LGBTQIA+ health, mental health and disability advocacy. They sit on multiple national and South Australian advisory groups and have been a community and professional educator for nine years. Lucy is skilled at using her professional experience, lived experience, and her authentic connection to lived experience movements, to deliver trainings, manage projects and lead co-design processes strengthening the rights and autonomy of marginalised communities.

Elena Campbell has worked in legal and social policy and research for more than 25 years. She has deep expertise in gender-based violence, particularly interventions with people using violence and the experiences of children and young people. Elena recently joined the Australian Institute of Family Studies as Child & Family Safety Theme Head, where she leads work focused on understanding national progress in preventing and eliminating violence against women and children. Previously, at RMIT University’s Centre for Innovative Justice, she oversaw research examining the relationship between trauma and contact with legal processes, including in family, domestic and sexual violence, and young people’s and women’s contact with the criminal justice system. She has led projects for government departments and courts supporting implementation of Victoria’s Royal Commission into Family Violence recommendations and was Chief Investigator on ANROWS-funded projects focused on interventions with adults using family violence.

Jess Stone is a multi-award-winning advocate and policy consultant specialising in translating young people’s lived experience into meaningful legislative and policy reform. As Vice-Chair of NAPCAN Youth Speak Out (NYSO), Jess works with young people across Australia to influence child protection, safeguarding and abuse prevention policy, helping ensure youth voices are embedded in high-level decision-making. She has advised and collaborated with organisations and government bodies including NAPCAN, the Queensland Family and Child Commission, the Australian Human Rights Commission, Childlight, the eSafety Commission, the National Office for Child Safety, the ACU Institute of Child Protection Studies, Bravehearts and the Daniel Morcombe Foundation. Internationally, Jess holds leadership roles with SDSN Youth and the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community, supporting networks of young changemakers across many countries. She has represented youth perspectives at global forums and policy discussions, advocating for meaningful youth participation and international cooperation on social and human rights challenges.