Meet the Team

Simone Wood is the Director and Founder of Little Bear Consulting and an Advanced Behaviour Support Practitioner who holds a Master of Social Work. Simone brings more than 15 years of experience across the child protection and disability sectors, supporting children, young people, adults and families with a range of complex needs.

Throughout her career, Simone has developed extensive experience working with individuals and families experiencing complex circumstances. She is passionate about advocacy, empowerment and ensuring people are supported to have their voices heard, particularly when navigating complex systems and accessing the supports they need.

Simone's practice is grounded in neurodiversity-affirming, trauma-informed and person-centred frameworks. She takes a holistic approach to understanding behaviour, recognising that behaviour is often a form of communication and that a person's environment, relationships, experiences, communication and individual needs can all influence their presentation.

Jade Carey is a Behaviour Support Practitioner who holds a Master of Social Work and brings extensive experience supporting children, young people and families with complex needs.

Jade has a strong professional background in Child Protection and Out-of-Home Care (OOHC) and spent many years working in a senior clinical role supporting children and young people who had experienced trauma, adversity and disrupted attachments. Her extensive experience has developed Jade’s strong understanding of the impact that trauma, relationships and environmental factors can have on behaviour and emotional regulation.

Jade brings a trauma-informed, relationship-based and strengths-focused approach to her behaviour support practice. She understands the importance of building trust and creating environments where children and young people feel safe, understood and supported.

Marina is an NDIS-registered Behaviour Support Practitioner with extensive experience across the Family Preservation, Corrections and Child Protection sectors. Her diverse professional background has provided her with a strong understanding of complex presentations, family dynamics, risk and the importance of building meaningful relationships with the people she supports.

Marina has a particular strength in working with teenagers and young people, where she is able to build genuine, trusting relationships and create an environment where young people feel heard, respected and understood.

Marina takes a neurodiversity-affirming and strengths-based approach, recognising that behaviour is often a form of communication and that understanding the individual behind the behaviour is essential to providing effective support.

Andrew is a Director of Little Bear Consulting and oversees the business development and compliance functions of the organisation. With over 15 years of experience in managing large companies, Andrew brings extensive knowledge and experience in business operations, governance and compliance.

While Andrew often works behind the scenes, he plays an important role in supporting the Little Bear Consulting team and ensuring the business has strong systems, processes and compliance practices in place. He works closely with the team of practitioners to support the ongoing development of the organisation and help ensure the business operates effectively and continues to provide high-quality services to participants and their families.

Melinda is an NDIS-registered Behaviour Support Practitioner with more than 10 years of experience working within the Child Protection sector.

Melinda has extensive experience supporting children, adults and older people with complex needs and is committed to providing individualised, respectful and person-centred support. Her background has provided her with a strong understanding of the importance of considering a person's experiences, relationships, environment and individual circumstances when developing behaviour support strategies.

Melinda is particularly passionate about promoting dignity, equality and respect for every person she supports. She works to ensure that clients feel heard, valued and empowered, while supporting families and teams to better understand behaviour and respond in ways that promote safety, wellbeing and positive outcomes.

Panashe is a Behaviour Support Practitioner who holds a Bachelor of Social Work and brings experience across both the Child Protection and hospital mental health sectors.

Through his professional experience, Panashe has developed an understanding of the complex needs of children, young people and families and the importance of providing support that is compassionate, respectful and responsive to each person's individual circumstances.

Panashe is enthusiastic and passionate about working with children and families. He enjoys building positive relationships and creating a safe and supportive environment where children feel understood, valued and encouraged to develop their skills.

Panashe brings a warm, approachable and genuine manner to his practice and is committed to supporting positive outcomes for the children and families he works alongside.