CENTRE LEADERSHIP
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Wendy Entwistle (appointed Executive Director, end August 2020)
Wendy was appointed Executive Director following the retirement of Dr. Susan Foster-Cohen in August this year. A registered Social Worker, Wendy has a Diploma and MA in Social Work, coupled with a Post-Graduate Diploma in Management Studies. For nine years, from 2003 until 2012, Wendy led the Family Support Team at the Champion Centre and was part of the Centre Management Team. In 2013, Wendy moved to Hamilton and led the Consumer Engagement team at the Waikato District Health Board. She established and supported the inaugural Consumer Council for Waikato DHB, working closely with community networks and many people using DHB services. Wendy was integral in ensuring ‘consumers’ were involved in the planning and improvement of health services across the region. |
In 2018, Wendy moved back to Christchurch and is delighted to return ‘home’ to the Champion Centre. She took on the role of Early Intervention Services Manager, leading the team of 18 Early Intervention Educators, as well as being part of the management team and supporting a range of executive functions. Driven by principles of equality and inclusion Wendy says: ‘A significant part of my professional life has been spent at the Champion Centre and I feel a strong connection and loyalty to it. For years the Champion Centre, in partnership with families, has provided a vital service for many families in Christchurch.’
‘I have immense respect for the skilled clinical work of my colleagues as well as for the strength and commitment of families with whom we partner. Equally, I have an appreciation of the solid foundation on which the Champion Centre is built, its strong research base, and the values underpinning the model of practice. I am keenly aware that it is the dedication of the many staff and supporters over the past 40 years, all who have believed in the importance of the work, that has enabled the Champion Centre to thrive’.
‘I am especially grateful to Susan for her support over the years and wish her well. Moving forwards, I am excited to partner with Lauren as part of the new leadership team, ensuring the Champion Centre continues to thrive for many, many years to come’.
‘I have immense respect for the skilled clinical work of my colleagues as well as for the strength and commitment of families with whom we partner. Equally, I have an appreciation of the solid foundation on which the Champion Centre is built, its strong research base, and the values underpinning the model of practice. I am keenly aware that it is the dedication of the many staff and supporters over the past 40 years, all who have believed in the importance of the work, that has enabled the Champion Centre to thrive’.
‘I am especially grateful to Susan for her support over the years and wish her well. Moving forwards, I am excited to partner with Lauren as part of the new leadership team, ensuring the Champion Centre continues to thrive for many, many years to come’.
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Lauren Porter, PhD (appointed Clinical Director, October 2020)
Lauren was appointed Clinical Director in October, following Wendy's appointment to Executive Director. A registered clinical social worker, Lauren holds both an MSW and PhD in Social Work. Her PhD was completed at the University of Canterbury in 2017 under the supervision of Patricia Champion, with a focus on first time mothers and their premature infants. Lauren has been in direct clinical practice since 1995, working with children and families for most of that time. From 1995 to 1999, Lauren lived in Germany and worked for the US military, supporting adolescents and their families. She then took on the role of Programme Director for a city-wide child sexual abuse treatment programme for a year until the birth of her first child. In 2004, Lauren and her colleague, Kate Dent Rennie, formed the NZ-based Centre for Attachment, an agency that provided direct training, consultation and intervention to parents, infant mental health professionals and government. |
In 2014, after disruptions related to the Christchurch earthquakes, Lauren and her family relocated to Australia. There she worked for both Griffith University and Southern Cross University in teaching and supervision roles. She finished her time in Australia as the Team Leader for a residential addiction treatment programme, where she instituted a family programme based upon Circle of Security Principles. Since returning to New Zealand early this year, Lauren has been Clinical Manager of Massey University Wellington's Student Health and Counselling Centre.
Lauren's appointment to the Champion Centre is a homecoming in profound and important ways. Not only is she returning home to Christchurch, but she is taking up a role that fortifies her most meaningful professional connections: to infant mental health; to Patricia, Jan and the team; and to the relational support of our youngest members of society. Lauren is excited to partner with Wendy, to learn from both Wendy and the team, and to dedicate herself and her professional energy to the best future for the Champion Centre.
Lauren's appointment to the Champion Centre is a homecoming in profound and important ways. Not only is she returning home to Christchurch, but she is taking up a role that fortifies her most meaningful professional connections: to infant mental health; to Patricia, Jan and the team; and to the relational support of our youngest members of society. Lauren is excited to partner with Wendy, to learn from both Wendy and the team, and to dedicate herself and her professional energy to the best future for the Champion Centre.
