Who We Are

Our Mission

To empower people with disability to live with dignity, purpose, and choice by delivering reliable, individualised, and relationship-driven supports.

What Drives Us

Trust and Reliability

Collaboration and Respect

We believe the best outcomes are achieved through collaboration. By listening, valuing every voice, and working together, we create supports that reflect each person's goals, choices, and unique circumstances.

Safety and Compassion

We lead with empathy, kindness, and a commitment to safety. We strive to create environments where people feel respected, supported, and empowered to thrive.

Kelly Connell

With extensive experience across the disability sector, Founder and Director Kelly has dedicated her career to improving the lives of people with disability through genuine, person-centred support.

Beginning as a Disability Support Worker, Kelly developed a strong understanding of the importance of building meaningful relationships and delivering quality, individualised support. Over the years, she has progressed through a range of leadership roles, including Children's Services, Day Program Manager, Behaviour Support Day Program Manager, and Level 2 Support Coordinator. This broad experience has given her a deep understanding of the diverse needs of participants, families, and support teams.

Having worked across a number of disability service providers, Kelly recognised a growing need for a service that prioritised genuine, face-to-face support, open communication, and lasting relationships over transactional service delivery. That vision became the foundation of Care Focused.

As the Founder and Director, Kelly is committed to building a service where participants are known personally, staff are supported to provide exceptional care, and every interaction is guided by respect, integrity, and genuine connection. Her passion continues to shape a culture that puts people first and strives to make a meaningful difference in the lives of every participant and family Care Focused supports.

Nathan Coupe

Nathan began his career in the industry as a disability support worker, gaining valuable firsthand experience supporting people with disability to achieve their goals and live more independent lives. Working directly alongside participants gave him a strong understanding of the importance of quality care, reliable services, and person-centred support.

As a Director, Nathan oversees the financial management of Care Focused, leading budgeting and financial planning to ensure the organisation remains financially sustainable while continuing to deliver high-quality services to participants.

Nathan also coordinates and oversees home modifications, working closely with participants, Occupational Therapists, and contractors to ensure every modification is practical, compliant with building industry standards and regulatory requirements, and tailored to each participant’s individual needs. His focus is on creating safe, accessible environments that promote greater independence and improve everyday living.

Nathan is passionate about building a sustainable organisation that supports both participants and staff. He believes strong financial management and efficient systems provide the foundation for consistent, high-quality services and better outcomes for the people Care Focused supports.

Emma Williams

With extensive experience across human resources, governance, quality, compliance, and organisational leadership within the disability sector, Emma is passionate about building strong teams, practical systems, and positive workplace cultures that support safe, high-quality, individualised services.

Emma entered the disability sector driven by a desire to make a genuine difference. She joined Care Focused because of the organisation's commitment to knowing participants as individuals, building meaningful relationships, and delivering personalised support.

Emma believes great support starts long before a worker arrives at a participant's front door. She knows quality services are built on capable teams, clear processes, and strong leadership. By creating workplaces where staff feel valued, supported, and confident, she believes participants receive safer, more consistent support.

Emma is passionate about creating environments where both participants and staff feel supported to succeed. She believes the best outcomes are achieved when organisations invest in their people, build strong systems, and never lose sight of the people at the heart of every decision.

A strong advocate for collaboration, Emma works to ensure services are responsive, reliable, and centred around each participant's goals, preferences, and support networks.

Callie Blanche

As Client Services Manager, Callie brings more than 10 years of experience as a Human Services Practitioner, with a background in complex mental health, high-intensity behaviour support, crisis management, compliance, and person-centred care.

Callie began her career as an Assistant in Nursing within a residential psychogeriatric facility, where her passion for supporting people and their families first began. She is dedicated to helping people feel safe, respected, included, and empowered through every stage of life.

She holds a Certificate III in Individual Care and Support, a Diploma of Sociology, and a Bachelor's Degree in Human Services with Psychology studies. Her approach is grounded in empathy, cultural awareness, inclusion, and a genuine love of getting to know people and understanding what matters most to them.

Callie believes quality support should honour each person's goals, choices, relationships, and lived experience. Her philosophy is that we don't just support one individual, we support the people around them too.

Warm, approachable, and bubbly, Callie is committed to making support feel genuine, meaningful, and personal - not clinical or routine.

Building strong relationships with participants, families, carers, and support teams is what fuels Callie’s passion.

Mia Patterson

Mia is an experienced Support Coordinator, bringing more than 8 years of experience across the disability sector.

For the past five years, she has specialised in Level 2 Support Coordination, helping participants navigate their NDIS plans with confidence and build the supports they need to achieve their goals.

She has worked alongside people with physical, neurological, sensory, and psychosocial disabilities and is passionate about providing inclusive, respectful support.

Mia proudly works with people who identify as LGBTQIA+, creating a safe, welcoming environment where everyone feels heard, respected, and empowered.

Holding a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, Mia combines her understanding of human behaviour with practical, person-centred strategies that help participants build independence and confidence. Having lived in both America and Europe, she brings a broad perspective to her work and values diversity in all its forms.

Friendly, approachable, and highly organised, Mia enjoys building genuine relationships with participants, families, and providers.

 She is committed to delivering support that is practical, responsive, and makes a real difference in people's lives.

Tegan Wagner

Tia Smith

Tia is a dedicated Support Coordinator, bringing 10 years of experience across the aged care and disability sectors. Since beginning her career, she has worked in a variety of roles, including aged care, rostering, service coordination, business development, support work, and support coordination.

This broad background has given her a strong understanding of the support sector and the diverse needs of the people it serves.

Tia has supported people with a wide range of disabilities, including autism, intellectual disability, psychosocial disability, acquired brain injury, neurological conditions, and complex physical disabilities.

She is passionate about advocating for participants and helping them access the supports they need to achieve their goals and live as independently as possible.

Alongside her work in disability, Tia is a qualified Personal Trainer with a passion for strength training, health, and nutrition. She enjoys encouraging others to embrace movement and healthy lifestyle choices, recognising the positive impact they can have on both physical and mental wellbeing.

Friendly, approachable, and committed to achieving positive outcomes, Tia values building genuine relationships with participants, families, and providers.

She believes strong communication and collaboration are the foundation of great support and is committed to ensuring every participant feels heard, supported, and empowered throughout their NDIS journey.

Desiree Harmerbudd

Desiree is a dedicated and compassionate Workforce and Operations Coordinator with over two years of experience in the disability sector.

Holding a Certificate III in Community Services, she is passionate about supporting the delivery of reliable, person-centred services and helping ensure participants receive the care they need.

Highly organised and approachable, Desiree enjoys building positive relationships with participants, families, and support staff.

She understands the important role effective rostering and administration play in delivering consistent, high-quality support and works to ensure services run smoothly behind the scenes.

Desiree believes every person deserves to feel valued, respected, and supported to live the life they choose.

She is committed to creating positive experiences for both participants and staff through kindness, open communication, and genuine relationships.

Whether she's coordinating rosters or assisting the team, Desiree takes pride in making a positive difference every day.