Led by legal experts in education, health, privacy, and family law, as well as organisations working with school guidance counsellors at the coalface, benefit from practical guidance on the key legal issues and challenges that affect your day-to-day role as a school counsellor, learning support co-ordinator and other student support personnel in the education system. Feel confident supporting students through issues of LGBTQIA+, parent separations, court arrangements and disclosure of self-harm. Unpack your obligations relating to privacy, confidentiality, disciplinary processes and instances where school student support staff have run into trouble. Not to be missed.

Presenters

Jamie Martin, Legal Educator, Community Law Canterbury – Te Ture Whānui o Waitaha
Jamie works at Community Law Canterbury as a Senior Legal Educator, managing the Youth and Rainbow portfolios. This has required talking with school students, rainbow groups, and school staff about the legal challenges facing students today. He's passionate about ensuring both schools and young people have the knowledge to solve issues together, and works to improve public legal knowledge across the South Island. As part of this he's worked with groups like Qtopia, InsideOut, Te Tahi, and Law for Change. He also runs the Prison Education Project, providing legal rights education in several prisons, and works as a Prisoner Rights Advocate for Howard League Canterbury. He has recently been appointed a Trustee for the STI Education Foundation. He completed his legal studies at the University of Canterbury and through IPLS.


Jane Barlin, Senior Legal Educator, Community Law Canterbury – Te Ture Whānui o Waitaha
Jane Barlin works as a Senior Legal Educator at Community Law Canterbury, where she manages the refugee and ethnic portfolios. She's passionate about making information available to all who need it, particularly those communities lacking support. In addition to Community Law, she works as a research assistant at the Victoria University of Wellington, and serves as a board member for Christchurch Resettlement Services. Jane is currently researching SOGI (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) rights in schools as part of her Honours studies at the University of Canterbury.


Racheal Allison, Senior Associate, Duncan Cotterill
Racheal is a skilled family lawyer with extensive experience in matters relating to parenting, separation, relationship property, guardianship disputes, child support, family violence (protection orders) and asset protection, including contracting out agreements (pre-nuptials). She understands that family law matters can be emotionally charged and stressful. Racheal takes a supportive approach, and works closely with her clients to develop tailored legal strategies that meet their needs and goals. She is a strong advocate for her clients and has the skills and expertise necessary to represent them in court if required. Racheal is pragmatic and is committed to providing her clients with the information they need to make well informed decisions about their legal options. Racheal’s experience and child-focussed approach has been recognised by her inclusion on the Court-appointed Lawyer for Child list.


Jenny Corlet, Guidance Counsellor, Waitaki Girls High School
Jenny Corlet is currently the Guidance Counsellor at Waitaki Girls’ High School, Oamaru , North Otago. Jenny previously worked for seven years at Aurora College, which is a co-educational Year 7 -13 high school in South Invercargill. Jenny belongs to the New Association of Counsellors and is Massey trained with a Master of Counselling. Before training to be a counsellor, Jenny worked in primary education as a teacher and had a year relieving as a RTLB, which led her to be interested in working with families and youth. With 17 years experience as a Guidance Counsellor, Jenny has multiple experiences working with at-risk youth and families. Jenny is currently on the North Otago Oranga Tamariki - Te Ara Tika panel.


Lisa Braid, Operations Manager, Lifeline Aotearoa
Lisa Braid is currently the Operations Manager for Lifeline Aotearoa. Previously Lisa worked for Grandparents raising Grandchildren as the National Operations Manager for 8 years. She has a long background in Social Work and has worked predominately in the NGO sector working in the fields of Mental health, Brain Injury, Hospice, Intensive Care Units, and ID services. She is currently the Chairperson of the MSD Extraordinary Care Fund and sits on two Oranga Tamariki Grievance Panels in Auckland. She is the proud mother of a teenage son.


Angeline Boniface, Barrister
Angeline is an experienced Christchurch legal practitioner, operating from Walker St Chambers. With 31 years specialising in family law, Angeline is a senior lawyer for child and she has been appointed as lawyer for subject person in cases where a person lacks legal capacity. Known for her practical and robust advice, she maintains a strong focus on client needs, whether that client is a child, a parent and/or a vulnerable person. Angeline has worked on multiple cases involving relationship property division, parenting issues, family violence, Oranga Tamariki notifications, adoptions, schooling disputes and so on.


Grant Tyrrell, Barrister, Plymouth Chambersx
Grant has significant litigation experience across jurisdictions in the District and High Courts through to the Court of Appeal. He has been appearing as lead counsel in criminal trials, including those heard before a Judge and Jury and in the Family Court jurisdiction for nearly two decades. Grant has successfully argued high profile cases to the Court of Appeal including Surrey v Surrey the first, and leading case, argued before the Court of Appeal under the (then) Domestic Violence Act. Grant has been appointed to the Lawyer for Child Panel and is regularly asked to assist the Court as Lawyer to Assist or Amicus Curiae. He is known for his clear, honest and pragmatic advice and clients appreciate his straight forward and thorough advice often at the most stressful times of their lives. Grant has served on Law Society committees and as President of the Canterbury-Westland Branch of the New Zealand Law Society.


Shaun Brookes, Special Counsel, Buddle Findlay
Shaun specialises in employment law, industrial relations, and health and safety, as well as dispute resolution and general litigation. He advises clients on a wide range of employment matters, including terminations, bullying, redundancy and restructuring, Holiday Act entitlements, and industrial relations. He regularly provides training and seminars on health and safety, employment, and privacy topics. Shaun also represents a number of councils on regulatory enforcement and prosecutions. He advises clients on health and safety matters and has experience with WorkSafe investigations and prosecutions. He is an experienced litigator and appears in the Employment Relations Authority and Employment Court, the District Court and High Court, and at mediation on behalf of clients.


Abigail Brand, Senior Associate, Dentons
Abigail is a Senior Associate in Dentons’ Dispute Resolution team, with a number of years’ experience in litigation and dispute resolution, primarily in the health sector. Her particular area of interest is the regulation of health professionals and services. Abigail began her legal career in Kensington Swan’s litigation team. This role provided her with the opportunity to work on a number of health law matters, including professional disciplinary matters prosecuted before the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal. In 2014 Abigail joined the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). This entity supports the 15 national boards representing the various health professions within Australia. Abigail held a number of positions with AHPRA, most recently as an in-house legal advisor. Since returning to New Zealand in 2022, Abigail has continued to represent clients in prosecutions before the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal, investigations by the Health and Disability Commissioner, Coronial inquests, and matters before the Human Rights Review Tribunal.


Monique Dalrymple, Founder and Coordinating Counsellor, Kindred Centre
Monique is the Founder and Coordinating Counsellor of Kindred Centre and holds a Master’s in Educational Psychology from Massey University. Registered with the New Zealand Association of Counsellors since 1999, she is also ACC registered. As a counsellor and clinical supervisor, she believes that the therapeutic journey unfolds through conversations between individuals seeking support and a trained, experienced counsellor. Her approach includes active listening and a non-judgmental, supportive style. She is committed to helping clients achieve a greater sense of wellness, strength, and resilience through their therapeutic journey