Dr Kirsten Hancock is National Manager Research & Evaluation at The Smith Family, a national non-profit that supports students experiencing disadvantage to succeed at school. She leads a program of longitudinal research to monitor and evaluate outcomes for students on the Learning for Life scholarship. Before joining The Smith Family, Kirsten was a Senior Research Fellow at the Telethon Kids Institute, where she researched the factors affecting student pathways through school. She has particular expertise in issues relating to student attendance, and the interplay between health, mental health, developmental circumstances, and educational pathways.