PhD (Victoria University Melbourne)
Master of Education in Counselling (The University of Auckland, New Zealand)
Bachelor of Arts in Education (Massey University, New Zealand)
Dr Santino Atem Deng (PhD) is an experienced counsellor, educator, researcher, and trainer specialising in mental health (trauma), education, resettlement & migration, and family and parenting practices. He has over 18 years of work and research experience in these areas, held many community leadership roles, managed community programs/projects, and worked in various non-governmental agencies/organisations (NGOs) and government departments in New Zealand and Australia.
His day-to-day work includes managing African-Australian Family and Parenting Support Services (AFPSS) as its Director, research, training, consultancy, and working as a senior counsellor with professional counselling organisations in Melbourne. He currently runs weekly Family Wellbeing (parenting) program (as a Trainer/educator), a joint initiative or partnership between AFPSS and Wyndham Community and Education Centre (Wyndham CEC).
Santino’s PhD studies investigated changes and challenges in South/Sudanese family dynamics and parenting practices in Australia. His PhD research examines recent transitions in parenting practices from both parents and youth perspectives, drawing on nuanced cultural understandings and contexts to explore various challenges and transitions in parenting after resettling in Australia. This finding provides new insights into refugee/migrant and, generally, CALD communities’ parenting experiences that help communities, policymakers and service providers offer improved family support.
Santino’s primary area of expertise/work and research interest include refugee/migrant resettlement/settlement, diaspora (transnational/transitions), family dynamics and parenting in different contexts, community development, family & parent-based approach, social inclusion, education and mental health. He has published widely and presented at international conferences in these areas.
AFPSS formation was primarily informed by Santino’s above work, research and leadership experiences, particularly after having managed and run positive programs both in New Zealand and Australia for many years in the refugee/migrant communities and his PhD studies on new settlement/resettlement, families and parenting practices, changes and challenges. Strategies also informed this with Kids/Information for Parents (SKIP), from which he trained as a parenting trainer. SKIP is an NZ nationwide network of individuals, community groups, government agencies, workplaces and national NGOs working together for a better future. The initiative aimed to ensure that all the children are raised positively by parents and caregivers who can feel confident about managing children’s behaviour as part of a loving and nurturing relationship.
The Triple P also informs it – Positive Parenting Program, one of the most effective evidence-based parenting programs throughout the world, backed up by years of ongoing research. Triple P gives parents simple and practical strategies to help them build strong, healthy relationships, confidently manage their children’s behaviour, and prevent problems.
Master of Education in Counselling (The University of Auckland, New Zealand)
Bachelor of Arts in Education (Massey University, New Zealand)
Dr Santino Atem Deng (PhD) is an experienced counsellor, educator, researcher, and trainer specialising in mental health (trauma), education, resettlement & migration, and family and parenting practices. He has over 18 years of work and research experience in these areas, held many community leadership roles, managed community programs/projects, and worked in various non-governmental agencies/organisations (NGOs) and government departments in New Zealand and Australia.
His day-to-day work includes managing African-Australian Family and Parenting Support Services (AFPSS) as its Director, research, training, consultancy, and working as a senior counsellor with professional counselling organisations in Melbourne. He currently runs weekly Family Wellbeing (parenting) program (as a Trainer/educator), a joint initiative or partnership between AFPSS and Wyndham Community and Education Centre (Wyndham CEC).
Santino’s PhD studies investigated changes and challenges in South/Sudanese family dynamics and parenting practices in Australia. His PhD research examines recent transitions in parenting practices from both parents and youth perspectives, drawing on nuanced cultural understandings and contexts to explore various challenges and transitions in parenting after resettling in Australia. This finding provides new insights into refugee/migrant and, generally, CALD communities’ parenting experiences that help communities, policymakers and service providers offer improved family support.
Santino’s primary area of expertise/work and research interest include refugee/migrant resettlement/settlement, diaspora (transnational/transitions), family dynamics and parenting in different contexts, community development, family & parent-based approach, social inclusion, education and mental health. He has published widely and presented at international conferences in these areas.
AFPSS formation was primarily informed by Santino’s above work, research and leadership experiences, particularly after having managed and run positive programs both in New Zealand and Australia for many years in the refugee/migrant communities and his PhD studies on new settlement/resettlement, families and parenting practices, changes and challenges. Strategies also informed this with Kids/Information for Parents (SKIP), from which he trained as a parenting trainer. SKIP is an NZ nationwide network of individuals, community groups, government agencies, workplaces and national NGOs working together for a better future. The initiative aimed to ensure that all the children are raised positively by parents and caregivers who can feel confident about managing children’s behaviour as part of a loving and nurturing relationship.
The Triple P also informs it – Positive Parenting Program, one of the most effective evidence-based parenting programs throughout the world, backed up by years of ongoing research. Triple P gives parents simple and practical strategies to help them build strong, healthy relationships, confidently manage their children’s behaviour, and prevent problems.
