Your Family Services Team
Edith Schaaf - IFS Leader
Following early years spent in Germany, Edith travelled extensively and lived in France and Canada before settling in Australia in 1982.
Edith’s world has always been about helping other people. She has actively engaged in appreciating different cultures and languages wherever she is. She especially enjoyed her time teaching English as a Second Language to non-English speaking migrants through AMES Australia.
In 2007, Edith obtained her Diploma in Social Community Welfare so that she could extend her professional skills in support of families in need.
Edith is dedicated to engaging and supporting parents who are struggling with challenging issues that affect their parenting such as mental health, drugs and alcohol, family violence, disability, housing, and poverty.
An ardent and determined leader, she has worked with more than one generation of families at HPCH. Her success is evident in the children who are now parents themselves, as they come back to the House looking specifically for her support.
In her role as IFS team leader, Edith heads the team that supports families to make positive changes to their individual needs in the key areas of parenting/relationships, communication and engagement.
She has highly valued expertise in client services with qualifications in Social Community Welfare and Children’s Services.
Edith’s rich, lifelong experience coupled with 15 years working in Family Services, sees her enjoying engagement with the families and consumers she cares for, and the ways she supports them in their many areas of need.
Lorna Berry - IFS Program Co-ordinator
Lorna has a Diploma in Children’s Services and is a qualified youth worker and NDIS support worker.
Lorna came to Australia as an 11-year-old after living in New Zealand and Scotland. At age 16 she worked as an apprentice chef for local government, acquiring her first taste for professional work in a community-focused organisation.
Since those early days, Lorna has attained over 20 years of experience working with families from birth to 18 years.
With two children of her own and also a stepson, Lorna has lived experience with ADHD and trauma that makes her journey a special, deeply personal one.
In the corporate world, Lorna’s career has seen her manage partnerships in federal, state and local government environments. In the community sector, she has worked as a support worker with children, young people and adults with trauma ID and complex behaviours across several settings including out-of-home care, community engagement and supported Independent living sites.
Lorna is committed to volunteering and is a committee member for the well-regarded Centre Research Excellence Women’s Reproductive Health, Monash University.
She sits on an global committee as a consumer representative for women with Polycystic-Ovarian Syndrome. She has contributed to recent projects that highlight updates to diagnosis guidelines with the global team.
Chloe Townend - IFS Case Worker
Chloe is a skilled practitioner who obtained her Diploma in Community Services after spending 18 years raising her own children.
With lived experience as a teenage mother, (having had her first child at 17), Chloe focused on her children's wellbeing as she quickly worked out that her firstborn child had additional needs.
At two years of age, her child was non-verbal and now at 19 is at University studying Computer Science.
Chloe has a particular interest in ASD ADHD and complex behaviour. A combination of life’s events and her natural compassion has led to her being focused, motivated and highly skilled at supporting the families that HPCH works with.
Possessing an acute understanding of children and young people through the experience with her own three children, Chloe worked at The Babes Project in Frankston, contributing selflessly as a volunteer for two years.
Chloe is intuitive and quickly builds rapport with families and children, supporting them and sharing knowledge with kindness, respect and grace.
Rajwanee (Priya) Mohun, IFS Case Worker
Priya grew up in Mauritius where she worked in her family business. In a Marketing role, she worked internationally and attended seminars relating to the Food industry in Germany, England and France.
Priya came to Australia in 2007. She completed three years of full-time study in Social Community Welfare and Aged Care, including 540 hours of practical placement with leading providers Benetas and VSN.
Since then, Priya has added to her skillset with five years of experience working in Child Care services.
Priya has continued her commitment to Aged Care, providing personal and lifestyle support to Holocaust survivors as a valued part-time staff member.
Along her journey, Priya also worked at Monash Health in a role to provide social support to consumers with My Aged Care Package Levels 1&2 and administration support in Triage. These valuable experiences included organising daily life activities for referred consumers.
Priya is known around HPCH as a dedicated and caring supporter of people in need. As an NDIS support worker, she provides support to people from birth to 60 years. And she is committed to her work with families who are struggling mentally, financially and are facing life’s challenges.
As a case worker, Priya prioritises her focus on person-centred care. In this way, she is able to help people tackle issues and support families to create the change required to keep children and young people safe and well by improving their social, emotional, health and educational outcomes.