Who we are
The Hope and Transformation Initiative is a not-for-profit initiative dedicated to raising awareness about foster care, supporting foster carers, and advocating for systemic improvements. Our mission is to provide education, resources, and community support to ensure that every child in care has a safe, loving, and stable home.
Through advocacy, training, and practical support, we aim to highlight the realities of foster care—both the challenges and the profound impact it can have. Our work includes promoting foster care, offering support and guidance for carers, creating foster care communities and amplifying lived experiences.
By bridging the gap between carers, professionals, and the broader community, The Hope and Transformation Initiative strives to create lasting change for children in care and those who support them.
Why This Matters
Right now in Australia, over 45,000 children are living in out-of-home care.
Some of these children will return to their families. Others need temporary care while their families get the help they need. But thousands are waiting for a forever home—a safe, nurturing environment where they can belong, heal, and grow.
The situation is critical.
Due to a shortage of foster carers, children are increasingly being placed in accommodation such as hotels, serviced apartments, or motels—often with rotating shift workers instead of consistent caregivers. This isn’t just unsustainable—it’s traumatic.
Despite the growing need, fewer new carers are entering the system. In 2023, there was a 26% drop in people completing the foster carer accreditation process. Recruitment is down, while the number of children in crisis keeps rising.
We exist because this is unacceptable.
The Hope and Transformation Initiative was founded by foster carers who have seen these realities up close. We are here to change the trajectory. We are here to:
Support carers, so they stay in the system longer and feel equipped to provide safe, healing homes.
Raise awareness and advocate for reforms that prioritise child wellbeing over bureaucratic systems.
Build community so carers, workers, and families don’t feel like they’re in this alone.
Create pathways for more families to say yes—whether for a night, a year, or a lifetime.
Every child deserves safety, stability, and love. That’s why this matters.
Our Team
At the heart of the Hope and Transformation Initiative are our founding volunteer team members. They are the driving force behind our mission, bringing unique perspectives and skills that shape our work. We're proud to have several foster carers on our team, whose firsthand experience deeply influences our approach and commitment. We are also a multicultural team, reflecting the diverse community we serve, and this diversity strengthens our collaborative efforts. One of our core values is collaboration; we believe that by working together, we can achieve more and create a greater impact. Our team is committed to unity, ensuring that everything we do is a product of our collective effort.
DIRECTORS
Founder | Author | Advocate for Foster Care Reform
Danielle Murphy is a foster carer, social work professional, psychology student, and passionate advocate for children and the carers who support them. With over a decade of experience across the out-of-home care (OOHC) and homelessness sectors, Danielle brings both lived and professional expertise to her work.
She is the founder of The Hope and Transformation Initiative. Her mission is clear: when carers are supported, children thrive.
Danielle is also the author of Hearts in Transition: Navigating Love and Loss in Foster Care, a powerful memoir that shines a light on the realities, challenges, and beauty of fostering. Through her writing, podcast, public speaking, and advocacy, she gives voice to the often-unspoken struggles and triumphs within the care system.
Known for her authenticity, bold vision, and unwavering commitment, Danielle is building a movement that places carers and children at the heart of reform. She is deeply motivated by hope, grounded in experience, and relentless in her pursuit of lasting change.
Danielle Murphy
Educational Leader | Innovator | People Champion
With over 25 years of experience in the education sector, Andrew has dedicated his career to helping individuals, institutions, and industries grow and thrive. As the founder of Edu Engage, he is passionate about creating meaningful change across all levels of education—locally and globally.
Andrew’s expertise spans P–12 schools, vocational education, higher education, and industry. He has led the development of transformative programs across Australia, Asia, the USA, and beyond, always with a focus on building capacity and empowering others.
At the heart of Andrew’s work is a belief that true growth comes from transforming attitudes and character. He is driven by the idea that when people are nurtured and inspired, they not only succeed—they lead.
Known as the kind of person everyone wants to work with, Andrew brings exceptional leadership, deep empathy, and genuine warmth to every interaction. He has a remarkable ability to make people feel seen, heard, and valued, and his integrity and authenticity shine through in everything he does.
Andrew is also a devoted husband and father to three beautiful children. Despite walking through immense personal grief and trials, he continues to rise each day and pour into the lives of others. Andrew is not just experienced and knowledgeable—he’s the kind of person who changes the atmosphere for the better.
Andrew Dutton
Adoptive Mum | Former Child Protection Worker | Compassionate Advocate
Shelley is a mother, adoptive mother, and fierce advocate for children and families. With firsthand experience navigating the child protection system—including fighting for her own children's rights in court—she brings both lived and professional expertise to every space she steps into.
Shelley has worked in child protection and has years of experience as both a foster and adoptive mother. Her husband also worked in the sector, giving their family a unique and well-rounded perspective on the challenges and realities of the system.
Known for her generosity and deep empathy, Shelley is the kind of person who notices the one standing alone and makes them feel seen and welcome. She continues to show up for others with unwavering support and care.
Her knowledge, resilience, and compassion make her an invaluable part of this work. Shelley’s presence is steady, wise, and always focused on what matters most—supporting children and the people who care for them.
Shelley Giltrap
FOUNDING VOLUNTEER TEAM
Foster Carer, Builder, and Behind-the-Scenes Champion. Sam is a foster carer, business owner, and unwavering support behind this entire initiative. Known for his loyalty, compassion, and servant-hearted leadership, Sam has played a vital role in making this mission possible. He believes wholeheartedly in his wife, Danielle, and her vision, and without his steady presence and belief, this work wouldn’t exist.
Sam is integral to everything that happens. When a call for a child in need comes, Sam jumps into action—making beds, building cots, and preparing welcoming spaces with warmth and care. He balances running his own building business with being a hands-on, deeply involved father and carer. His real passion lies with the kids.
Sam’s words have a powerful impact. One eight-year-old girl, who had never received a compliment before, beamed with pride when she said, “Sam called me a champion, and now I feel like one.” That’s the kind of influence Sam carries—lifting children up and helping them believe in their worth.
He lives and breathes care, and his leadership continues to shape homes, hearts, and futures.
Sam Murphy
Lanette is a powerhouse in every sense of the word. She brings fierce advocacy and deep compassion to everything she does. Known for her genuine kindness and unwavering integrity, Lanette has a way of making everyone feel seen—while never shying away from speaking the hard truths.
Lanette is proud Aboriginal woman from the Ngoorabul tribe, Glenninnes region. Married to Andrew from the Kamalori tribe. They have three grown biological children, six grand kiddies and six foster kiddies (5 Aboriginal and 1 “white fellow” as she says). Her journey with foster care started 13 years ago.
Lanette is passionate about connecting cultures. She brings a rich cultural perspective that is both grounded in her heritage and deeply respectful of all backgrounds. She is a bridge-builder, seeking unity, understanding, and equity between all people. Her lived experience and cultural insight shape the way she shows up in conversations, in community, and in care.
When Lanette speaks, people listen—and for good reason. Her voice is strong, her heart is generous, and her commitment to children and families is unwavering.
Lanette Duck
Jeannie brings a wealth of knowledge and deep compassion for foster carers. While not a carer herself, she has spent many years walking alongside carers—listening to their joys and challenges, and witnessing firsthand the gaps in the support they receive. Her passion for driving real change in the foster care system, combined with her expertise, makes her an invaluable member of our team. Recently retired, Jeannie is a proud mother, stepmother, and grandmother. She has extensive experience across the child protection sector, having worked in areas ranging from early intervention to statutory child protection. With over seven years’ experience training, assessing, and supporting foster carers—as well as time spent as a caseworker—Jeannie brings a unique and well-rounded perspective to her work.
Jeannie began her career as a teacher, specialising in early education, and holds tertiary qualifications in Education, Community Services, and Social Science. She firmly believes that foster carers are the backbone of the system. For children in care to heal and thrive, carers must be supported in meaningful ways—support that meets not only the expectations of systems and agencies but truly addresses carers’ real needs.
Jeannie deeply values the lived experience of carers, saying:
“It is our carers who are present 24/7, at the coal face, nurturing our young people every step of the way. It is the carers who will facilitate healing and create the safety that needs to underpin this.”
Outside of her work, Jeannie enjoys meditation and creative pursuits like crochet—a skill passed down from her grandmother when she was just four years old. She is also the local contact for PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) and is a proud advocate for diversity and inclusion in her community.
Jeannie Crispin
Alison is a birth mother, adoptive mother, and foster carer with a deep commitment to seeing meaningful change in the foster care system. With a heart for both the children who enter care and the carers who support them, Ally brings compassion, resilience, and lived experience to everything she does.
She pours love into her family and every child who enters her home, offering stability, warmth, and acceptance. Ally’s lived experience across every facet of the care journey makes her an invaluable voice in this space—one that’s grounded, wise, and full of heart.
Alison Hay
Hannah is a dedicated mum of three with over 18 years of experience across a range of office environments, including the banking, legal, and construction sectors. She holds Certificates III and IV in Business, as well as a Certificate IV in Finance and Mortgage Broking. Her professional background includes roles such as Office Manager, Administrative Assistant in a CEO’s department, and Bookkeeper.
Hannah is known for her ability to step in and fill gaps where needed. She’s honest, reliable, a quick learner, and a steady presence behind the scenes—keeping things running smoothly no matter the task.
While Hannah is not a foster carer herself, she plays a vital role in supporting the foster care journey of her brother and sister-in-law. She regularly provides respite care, emotional support, and embraces the children welcomed into their home as if they were her own. Hannah is a true superstar—an unwavering support to carers and an essential part of our team.
Hannah Faulkner
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