Staff Stories: Danielle Swinnerton

What is your role at Noah’s Ark?

I am Team Leader of the Outer East team. We are based in the outer east of metropolitan Melbourne.

How has your career grown since starting at Noah’s Ark?

My background is in Speech Pathology and I started at Noah’s Ark in the role as a Key Worker. This involved me being up skilled in all areas of a child’s development so that I could provide a holistic transdisciplinary service to families. A couple of years ago I applied for a project role at Noah’s Ark head office and worked with stakeholders in the organisation to update the internal practice documents and intranet system. Recently, I have started as Team Leader of a team of speech pathologists and occupational therapists, and also work with the psychologists and physiotherapists that are based across the organisation.

What drew you to Noah’s Ark originally?

The strong focus on learning and teamwork, as well as the professional development opportunities internally.

What is your favourite thing about working for Noah’s Ark?

My favourite thing is the commitment to best practice. There is strong evidence behind the transdisciplinary Key Worker model and every day I see the difference this model makes to the lives of families of children with a disability. Noah’s Ark is always evolving to ensure families’ needs are met in the changing landscape (e.g. NDIS and COVID-19 restrictions) and as an employee there are lots of opportunities to contribute to the organisation through working parties, projects and within your team.

Tell us something about yourself that would surprise us?

I’m adventurous and have been to over 35 countries. My claim to a near-death experience is once being on an aeroplane that had to be diverted mid-air due to a problem with the landing gear- we landed on the runway to a long line up of emergency service vehicles. This hasn’t stopped me continuing to travel!

What advice do you have for prospective Noah’s Ark candidate?

Just do it! It’s a great organisation to work for and you will work with some of the most passionate people. I would recommend familiarising yourself with the principals of early childhood intervention - a great place to start is the ECIA Victoria website.