Originally trained as a lawyer specialising in government law and writing legislation, Sam followed his passion and made the move to the community services sector via additional studies in social work. This career transition was prompted by reflections that a better investment of his knowledge and expertise would involve working on complex issues facing communities at the root. Rather than applying fixes after issues have occurred, which is Sam’s perspective of the work he was doing as a lawyer, he has pivoted to see what can be enacted at the grassroots, community level to improve services, access, and policy for the benefit of individuals and neighbourhoods. 

Sam’s current roles are focused on planning and evaluation, community development, and social policy. He has found the move from law to community services incredibly rewarding because of the opportunities it offers to work directly with clients and be both a thinker and a doer. These frontline opportunities were also a big part of the joy he got from studying social work, during which time he volunteered with the Red Cross, with newly arrived migrants seeking visas, and with the elderly. Sam’s high-level strategic planning and thinking skills are applied to a range of community service projects, and he balances caring for his young family with a role in social impact planning at the City of Stirling and his social planning consultant role at Janali & Co.  

At Janali & Co, Sam has worked on a range of projects including most recently working with the City of Mandurah undertaking stakeholder engagement, data analysis, and supporting the development of their homelessness action plan. He also supported the development of an Evaluation Framework and Plan for the Young Australia League and undertook policy research for a project with Befriend Inc. to help them develop a framework for managing risk in a community development context.  

Alongside his social policy and frontline skills, Sam’s deep understanding of evaluation and measurement is an asset to clients seeking to measure the often intangible outcomes of their work. Sam is also adept at breaking large, complex projects down into smaller, more manageable components and then applying a program logic approach to allow for evaluation. Sam’s experience of measurement at this scale is particularly helpful not only for complex projects but also for multidisciplinary teams.  Sam has supported the development of indicators and indicator banks for clients and a common approach to measuring impacts and outcomes that is transferable across projects.

Sam’s experience in a variety of community services policy roles at the State and Local Government levels on the East Coast, then the move back to WA, and his career progression in the local government and consulting settings has been hugely rewarding. His work context allows him to see and influence real, immediate change that positively impacts communities, and his location allows his family to fully embrace their love for the outdoors.