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  5. Amy Kirwan

Amy Kirwan

Senior Research Fellow, Social Impact and Innovation

Amy Kirwan

Background

Amy Kirwan is an applied researcher with a long history of operationalising research in sensitive and challenging environments with populations experiencing social and structural disadvantage. Their work is informed by a career in multicultural health, policy development and advocacy, harm reduction, social work and public and community health. Their research has explored the experiences, needs, structural contexts and aspirations of people who use drugs, who have been incarcerated or criminalised, who come from multicultural communities and who have cognitive disabilities. They have worked to bring the outputs of these types of research into policy and practice across systems and services. 

Alongside these studies, Amy has conducted many commissioned evaluations and other qualitative studies, completing technical reports for government and service providers that have strongly influenced policy and practice across a range of settings. Amy has led a number of design research projects with people with lived experience to explore how better models of care and responses to social and structural disadvantage can be co-designed with communities. Amy is also a qualified social worker who has undertaken roles in forensic mental health, primary care and harm reduction outreach.

Qualifications

  • MSW, RMIT; MSocSci (Policy and Human Services), RMIT
  • BA (Hons), University of Melbourne

Reports and other work

  • ST KILDA 24-HOUR NSP EVALUATION.

    The Salvation Army commissioned the Burnet Institute to gather data on its 24-hour needle and syringe program (NSP) in St Kilda. Uniquely in Victoria, the St Kilda NSP is funded to run a staffed service 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and has been in operation with this model for over 10 years. This section is an executive summary of the Burnet Institute’s findings about the role, impact, and effectiveness of the St Kilda 24-hour NSP service.

    ST KILDA 24-HOUR NSP EVALUATION.
  • The Forest proposal

    Explains how we developed The Forest - a model to address underlying causes of incarceration.

    The Forest proposal
  • The Forest co-design report (Burnet Institute and Paper Giant)

    Describes the process and evidence behind The Forest - a model to address underlying causes of incarceration.

    The Forest co-design report (Burnet Institute and Paper Giant)
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