From the Inside Out: Leading for a Thriving, Child-Safe Culture in ECEC
Mana
59:59
The strongest child-safe cultures aren't built through policy alone. They're grown through people, and they start with you.
Leadership in ECEC is one of the most rewarding, and most complex roles in the sector. Yet many leaders step into the role without a clear pathway, and find themselves navigating culture, team wellbeing, and child safety all at once. So where do you begin?
We're joined by Sandi Phoenix, Founder of Phoenix Support for Educators, for a warm, practical and strengths-focused conversation about what great leadership looks and feels like from the inside out, and how that directly shapes the safety and wellbeing of the children in your care.
Together, Sandi and Hayden will explore:
- Leading self - understanding your own leadership style, strengths, and what fills your Cup so you can show up fully for your team
- Leading others - practical framework for seeing where your service is already thriving and identifying meaningful next steps to bring your vision to life
- Embedding culture - how positive, people-centred cultures take root and sustain over time, and what that means for child safety in practice
Who this is for:
- Service leaders and aspiring leaders who want to lead with intention and grow a culture they're proud of
- Executives and Operations Managers supporting leadership capability and child safety across their services
Speakers
Sandi Phoenix
Founder, Phoenix Support for Educators
Sandi Phoenix is the founder of Phoenix Support for Educators, now leading a national team of 20 who work alongside education and care services across Australia to strengthen wellbeing, inclusion and quality practice. An educator by background, she began studying psychological science in 1998 and has spent her career translating research from psychology into practical, relationship-based guidance aligned with the National Quality Framework. Sandi’s ability to bridge theory and day-to-day practice led to the creation of the Phoenix Cups Framework, a model used widely by educators and teachers nationally and internationally to support children’s wellbeing and build educator capacity to respond to behaviour through humanistic psychology, positive psychology and neuroscience-informed approaches. She presents at conferences in Australia and internationally, and continues her postgraduate study in Neuroscience and Mental Health at USC to deepen the translation of brain-based wellbeing science into practice.
Hayden Rolls
Head of Partnerships, Mana
My journey into education began with my first career as an OSHC Educator, where I discovered a passion for mentoring children. I then went on to study a Bachelor of Business Leadership and Commerce at Macquarie University, before joining Deloitte's strategy consulting team, with a focus on the education sector. A key highlight was leading the implementation planning for the Mental Health in Primary Schools Program across Victoria. Following this, I completed my Master's in Applied Positive Psychology at the University of Melbourne, where my research centred on positive education for children. My research was published in the International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology, in collaboration with Smiling Mind (one of Australia's leading digital mental health providers for youth). This journey at the intersection of early education and technology ultimately led me to Mana - where our AI native child development platform seeks to empower educators and families to give every child an extraordinary start to life.
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From the Inside Out: Leading for a Thriving, Child-Safe Culture in ECEC
59:59