“No one knows what it is like to care for a child in trauma until they have cared for a child in trauma,” said Noel...
Glenys Bristow
Senior Specialist, Therapeutic Residential Care
Glenys is our Senior Specialist, Therapeutic Residential Care where she advocates to ensure the needs of young people and residential workers are front and centre of what we do.
Glenys has spent 35 years in therapeutic residential care as a care worker, manager, trainer, and organisational consultant.
In 2003, Glenys was awarded the Robin Clark Award and later the Residential Care Learning & Development Strategy (RCLDS) Leadership Award in Residential Care for demonstrating achievement and innovation having a significant impact on residential care systems and outcomes for children and young people.
Glenys is passionate about providing relevant and up-to-date industry-informed training and caring for the workers who care for the young people. Glenys recently completed her Doctor of Education researching what makes a good residential worker – Artistry Fact or Fiction?
Glenys lives on lands of the Wurrundjeri Woi Wurrung People of the Kulin Nation with her family, and two dogs that can sometimes be heard snoring in the background of online meetings.

Articles written by
Glenys Bristow
Written by: Glenys Bristow
Lyn was 16 and had grown up in foster and residential care. Lyn was interviewed about her experience and views about out of home care....
Written by: Glenys Bristow Janise Mitchell Noel Macnamara
Much has been written about understanding and managing the challenging pain-based behaviours of children and young people who have experienced trauma and live in therapeutic...
Written by: Glenys Bristow Janise Mitchell Noel Macnamara
This guide has been developed to support Therapeutic Care carers and staff to navigate the critical balance between empowering children and young people and setting...
Written by: Janise Mitchell Kelly Royds Noel Macnamara Glenys Bristow
The ITC Pulse Check Survey and Outcome Report provides a point-in-time reflection on the experiences of the reform process by ITC agency staff. To this...
Written by: Janise Mitchell Kelly Royds Glenys Bristow Noel Macnamara
Client mix and the process of client matching is one of the 10 Essential Elements underpinning the Intensive Therapeutic Care (ITC) system in New South...
Written by: Glenys Bristow Noel Macnamara
Whilst the following Arabian proverb takes a bit to get your head around it leads rather nicely into this blog and our brief introduction on...
Written by: Glenys Bristow
Children and young people living in Therapeutic Residential Care in Australia often present with a range of behaviours that challenge us. The complexity and difficulty...
Written by: Glenys Bristow Janise Mitchell
Trained staff and consistent rostering are essential elements of therapeutic residential care. The purpose of this guide is to consider more broadly what makes an...
Written by: Glenys Bristow
This blog is to introduce my recent research with therapeutic residential workers. Further blogs and practice guides relating to finding, keeping, acknowledging and celebrating the...