SPEAKER INFORMATION
Sheena Olsen
With over 15 years of experience across child protection, out-of-home care, research, and policy reform, Sheena brings a rare combination to every stage: lived cultural knowledge, deep operational experience, and a clear, grounded voice on what works (and what doesn't) in Aboriginal service delivery.
She has contributed to the Family Is Culture Review, Uniting's First Nations Strategy, ANU's Local Decision Making evaluation, and the Aboriginal Housing Office's Three Rivers regional housing report. She speaks regularly at national sector conferences and is a recognised leader in culturally responsive practice.
Speaking Topics
Building strong Aboriginal organisations from the inside out
Establishing ACCOs that last and stay grounded in community.
Cultural safety beyond the policy document
What it actually takes to embed cultural responsiveness in service delivery.
Working two-way with Aboriginal communities
Lessons for government and NGO partners on genuine partnership.
Out-of-home care reform from the inside
Reflections from 15 years across casework, policy and review.
Aboriginal women in leadership
Building businesses, organisations and movements in Western NSW.
Sheena's sessions blend lived cultural knowledge with hard-earned operational insight. Audiences leave with a sharper understanding of what culturally responsive practice actually requires, and concrete shifts they can make in their own work.