Rate My Professor Liz Reimer

Dr. Liz Reimer is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work within the Faculty of Health at Southern Cross University. She holds a Diploma in Teaching from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), a Bachelor of Arts in Welfare Studies and a Bachelor of Community Welfare (Honours) from the University of Western Sydney (UWS), and a PhD from the University of South Australia (UNISA). With over 20 years of experience in child protection-related research, policy, and practice, particularly in family work and parenting programs, Reimer has held significant roles such as Senior Research Officer at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and Senior Policy and Research Officer for the Inquiry into the Child Protection System in the Northern Territory. Her academic career at Southern Cross University involves teaching units including Introduction to Social Welfare, Youth Work, and Community Development, where she emphasizes relational and evidence-based practices.

Reimer's research specializations focus on family work, relational practice in family work, men’s behavior change programs, and prevention and early intervention along the child wellbeing continuum. This encompasses community development approaches to child protection, creating communities in which children can thrive, and the intersection of social capital and child welfare. Her scholarly contributions include key publications such as 'Relationship-based practice with families where child neglect is suspected: A "real world" approach' (2013, Australian Social Work), 'A relational approach to practice: an ethical alternative to working with parents in out-of-home care processes' (2017, Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics), 'Exploring the depths of the rainforest: a metaphor for teaching critical reflection' (2019), 'Scaffolding critical reflection across the curricula of a social welfare degree' (2021, with Louise Whitaker), and 'Digital Intervention for Advancing Social Work and Welfare Education' (2025, with Erica Russ). She contributes to community initiatives as a board member of NSW Family Services and The Family Centre, an Impact Group member for It Takes a Town—a community development project in northern New South Wales—and an advisory group member for Communities for Children in Murwillumbah. Through these engagements, Reimer integrates evidence-based practice, social science research, asset-based community development, and social capital theory to support family-inclusive child protection strategies.