Tammy Hand

Dr Tammy Hand is Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the Gonski Institute for Education, UNSW, and the Deputy CEO at Upstream Australia. Tammy’s interests lie in the nexus of in/equality, structural and non-structural barriers, social change, reform, and young people.

Using an applied social research approach, Tammy’s current work is focused on the implementation and development of an innovative place-based, collective impact model, the COSS Model (‘community of schools and services’ model of early intervention), to improve social and educational outcomes for young people.

The COSS Model of early intervention supports vulnerable young people and their families to reduce disengagement from education, early school leaving, and to help where family issues are heading towards crises and possible homelessness as well as other adverse outcomes. The COSS Model works on a system development and reform level as well as service delivery reform, to effect real social change.