Catherine Wade
Principal Research Specialist
Doctor of Philosophy (Psychology); Master of Psychology (Education and Developmental Psychology); Graduate Diploma (Applied Child Psychology); Bachelor of Behavioural Science
Catherine Wade is a highly experienced researcher and a long-serving member of our team. Her appointment as Principal Research Specialist was a natural progression from her role as Senior Research Specialist.
In both roles, Catherine’s 20-plus years of expertise have guided the successful completion of projects such as the evaluation of the LINKS Trauma Healing Service in New South Wales and the evaluation of the Focus on New Fathers pilot perinatal mental health screening and referral program.
Other key initiatives that Catherine has led include:
- the evaluation of two separate intensive family support programs in South Australia, targeted at families at imminent risk of child placement into out-of-home care
- the Parenting Today in Victoria population-level repeated survey of Victorian parents
- the developmental evaluation of the HIPPY Age 3 program across Australia
- evaluation of the Intensive Family Support service in 22 sites across Queensland, working in partnership with the University of Queensland.
Catherine’s areas of expertise cover social policy research and program evaluation including quantitative and qualitative research design, data collection and analysis, continuous practice improvement (CPI), and large-scale longitudinal data analysis. She has research interests and clinical expertise in families affected by vulnerability, disability and disadvantage.
Before joining the Parenting Research Centre, Catherine worked as a psychologist with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and the Victorian Government’s Specialist Children’s Services.