Meet your Sector Specialists

Sasha Beirne

With a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Childcare Management, Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and certificates in Mental Health First Aid and Somatic Breath Coaching, Sasha possesses a robust academic foundation. Her profound commitment to enhancing the welfare of children, families and educators underscores her purpose.

Having supported the sector both internationally and nationally in her career, she has adeptly nurtured teams in diverse leadership capacities. Her trajectory led her to contribute to the sector through training and assessment before assuming her current role as a consultant. Whether engaged with leadership teams, educators, students, or peers, Sasha consistently places priority on their holistic wellbeing. 

Connie Borg

Connie has over 25 years’ experience in a variety of community and education and care services,  specialising in infants and toddlers. Along with strong community involvement, Connie believes support and guidance to build educator capacity is the best way to drive quality sustainable practice.

Connie has been with Child Australia for over three years and is passionate about the professional development and growth of educators in the Early Education and Care sector.  

Amanda Page

With her Bachelor of Education (Primary), Graduate Certificate in Early Childhood Education and Certificate IV in Business Management, Amanda is a passionate advocate for children and inclusion within the early years education sector.

Working closely with families and caregivers as Childrens’ first teachers, has worked is spaces such as the Better Beginnings family literacy program.

Drawing on extensive knowledge and working experience on child development as service director, educational leader and classroom teacher, Amanda creates positive, safe and inclusive learning environments when delivering professional development to ensure all involved continue their own passion for life-long learning.

Bec Warr

Bec holds a Bachelor of Social Science (Children and Family Studies), Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care and Certificate IV in Government Statutory Compliance. After working as an Early Childhood Educator and a Community Liaison Officer in education, Bec commenced employment with the Department of Communities and worked in various roles within the Education and Care Regulatory Unit (ECRU) for over 16 years.  

Bec has a wealth of experience with legislative/compliance requirements, investigation processes and quality assurance surrounding service delivery and the Assessment and Rating process. She has also worked in regional and remote areas across WA. After building a rich network of relationships within the early childhood sector, Bec now seeks to provide professional support to services and the early childhood community through training, consultancy and mentoring.

Kirsty Szklanka

For the past decade, Kirsty has served as a Senior Assessment Officer at the Education and Care Regulatory Unit (ECRU), where she has developed a deep understanding of legislative and compliance requirements, as well as quality service delivery standards outlined in the Assessment and Rating process. 

With over 20 years of experience and having worked in various roles within the sector, Kirsty is eager to share her expertise and passion for working with children to support and shape their futures in positive ways. She is committed to connecting with others in the sector to collaborate and enhance the quality of care and education provided to children. 

Fiona Rudkin

Fiona brings experience spanning 30 years in Corporate Management highlighted by her tenure as the co-owner of a Childcare Centre. With qualifications in both the Early Years and Disability Sectors, Fiona’s extensive background has supported consultancy roles in Early Childhood Education and Care settings, and subsequent management positions of Disability Employment Agencies.

During a 5-year residence in Phuket, Fiona delivered private English tuition to Thai-speaking children and adults. This led to a consultancy role for a training organisation, the highlight being facilitating Teaching English as a Second Language to training teachers in primary schools in Thailand. Fiona’s focus remains steadfast on the enduring success and sustainability of educational professionals, with emphasis on creating Early Learning environments that are not only sought–after workplaces, but also nurturing spaces for the holistic advancement of educators.

Nicole Waters

Nicole holds 30 years of extensive experience in the ECEC sector across three States and Territories. She spent 14 years as an educator, followed by 15 years delivering and assessing competency-based qualifications, before transitioning into a leadership and management role in the Family Day Care sector.

In addition to her professional roles, Nicole has also founded and enjoyed coordinating a church playgroup with a focus to support parenting with a Christian lens. Supporting parents to form understanding of child development to benefit and encourage them in their parenting role is a long-standing endeavour for Nicole.

Nicole is knowledgeable and skilled at engaging and collaborating with culturally diverse people, bringing established practice sharing her skills and experiences to cultivate their own successful journey.

Having been in these leadership and development roles, Nicole is a passionate advocate for authentic care and education of young children, particularly in the growth of intrinsic self-worth and wellbeing. Nicole is inspired and motivated to equip others to learn and grow in their own professional role.