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Spotlight on three very special women
March 6, 2026
This year’s International Women’s Day theme, Give to Gain, encourages a mindset of generosity and collaboration. Every day at Very Special Kids, we witness how much can grow when our staff share their time, knowledge and care with each other and our wider community.
It’s a sentiment that echoes through the recent work of our staff – Jenni, Cassie and Meg – whose dedication is helping children, and their families, feel more connected, understood and supported during some of life’s most challenging moments.
Here’s a closer look at the meaningful work they’ve been leading:
Expanding care across Victoria
Jenni Coldwell, family support practitioner
Jenni’s leadership across the Hume Region has driven meaningful growth and transformation, strengthening the way regional families can access care and connection.
By deepening our partnership with organisations like Country Hope and Primary Care Connect, Jenni has helped increase visibility of our paediatric palliative care services, opening the door for more families to access specialised support, guidance and care, when they need it most.
Jenni also plays a key role in building understanding of paediatric palliative care across the region by engaging directly with the health and community professionals who support families every day. Whether speaking with paediatric teams, hospice staff, bereavement workers or local community organisations, she helps create a shared confidence and clearer understanding of how to best walk alongside families navigating complex and often emotional experiences.
Jenni’s focus on building structured spaces for community connection and peer support will continue to strengthen local networks. With more family days, an office open day and an expanded regional family support team, even more families will be able to access meaningful support.
Bringing overseas learnings home
Cassie Keogh, child life therapist
At Very Special Kids, child life therapist and allied health coordinator, Cassie Keogh is helping children navigate this world through play, comfort and connection. Her mission: to bring warmth and understanding into respite, end-of-life and after death care.
Her work is even more significant given that only a handful of child life therapists in Australia specialise in paediatric palliative care.
This year, Cassie will further this impact through a professional fellowship across the United States and Canada, visiting leading hospices, hospitals and grief centres, and attending the Paediatric Palliative Care Symposium in Toronto.
Through this international collaboration, Cassie aims to deepen her understanding of the role child life therapy plays in supporting children with life‑limiting conditions, and bring back new knowledge and skills to ensure every child at Very Special Kids has opportunities to experience the joy of play – even in their final stage of life.
Championing the voices of bereaved siblings
Meg Chin, family support team leader
Meg Chin is leading powerful change in how bereaved siblings are understood and supported, both in Australia and internationally.
Last year, Meg was listed as one of the primary authors of a groundbreaking paper published in OMEGA – Journal of Death and Dying, titled “Re-imaging Childhood Grief: Children as Agents in a Transactional Process”.
Meg’s paper was co-written by Meg’s working group from the International Work Group on Death, Dying, and Bereavement (IWG), and it forms a vital part of her PhD studies, supported by Very Special Kids.
As an advocate, Meg has played a key role in developing the Rights of the Child Committee at Very Special Kids and has presented at numerous symposiums and conferences on the importance of including children’s perspectives in the grief process.
You can read more about Meg’s critical research and advocacy here.
Jenni, Cassie and Meg are three examples of the many women whose generosity strengthens Very Special Kids every day.
Thanks to efforts like this, Very Special Kids can create a compassionate and connected community for the families we walk alongside.
