Social Assessor Bio

Adriana Cope is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker, registered with the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW), the Child Protection Practitioners Association (CPPAQ) and the Australia New Zealand Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abuse (ANZATSA).  She completed a Bachelor of Social Work with Honors Class 1 in 1999, and a Master of Counselling and Psychotherapy in 2015. 

Adriana has 25 years’ experience working in therapeutic roles within Youth Justice, Family Court and Child Protection contexts. Since 2005, Adriana has consulted nationally on child protection matters completing Social Assessments, Parental Capacity Assessments, and General Foster and Kinship Carer Assessments. Adriana has worked with multi-systemic complex cases, with experience in the residential and out of home care space with children, young people and guardians/carers. She establishes strong partnerships with key stakeholders; families around reunification and families engaged with intensive family intervention.  Adriana has lectured since 2006 and is a post graduate lecturer at the University of Southern Queensland in the Faculty of Psychology and Wellbeing.

Adriana is in Private Practice at Spring Hill and provides assessment and treatment to children, young people, adults and families with mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions.  Adriana also delivers forensic risk assessments and offender-specific treatment to young people aged 10-18, with harmful sexual behaviours, referred by Qld Police and Youth Justice to a Restorative Justice Conference; their families and persons harmed.  She delivers professional supervision and training to mental health practitioners; and contributes to community of practice groups.

In a previous role at Paeds in a Pod, a paediatric specialist clinic, Adriana worked with a multidisciplinary team treating children and young people with neurodivergence, developmental disorders, gender variance and mental health issues.  She’s held clinical leadership roles including, Senior Program Manager at Clarence Street, Mater Young Adult Health Service, leading the Thread Program, Qld’s first Youth AoD therapeutic residential program for young people (aged 10-17); and the X-Tend Program, an Intensive Outreach program. 

Adriana served as Chair of the Lovewell Foundation Board of Directors; and as a non-executive Director for the Kyabra Community Organisation Board.