Sylvana Mahmic is the CEO of Plumtree Children’s Services and has worked for over 28 years in the early childhood intervention field, with particular expertise in whole-of-family and peer-led approaches. She is the co-creator of the peer-led program Now & Next and has incubated two peer-led organisations.
Sylvana has served on over 25 advisory groups including six Ministerial appointments and has been a member of the NSW Disability Council. She has held executive positions on the Board of Early Childhood Intervention Australia NSW/ACT and was a founding board member of Diversity Disability Alliance. She was a member of the NDIS Independent Advisory Council between 2013-2024.
She is currently a member of the NDIS Children’s Expert Advisory Group, The Foundational Supports for Children – NSW Advisory Group (NSW Department of Communities and Justice) , and the Australian Museum Access and Inclusion Advisory Panel.
Currently, she is undertaking postgraduate research with a focus on individualised funding, which has been her interest since 2009, when her son commenced with self-managed funding.
Qualification: BEd MEd
Additional Language: Bosnian
Leadership in Practice
Recognitions
- International Women’s Day 2019 – Honour Roll Nominee | Inner West Council
- Centre for Disability Studies Excellence in Education and Training Award 2019 | Centre for Disability Studies
- Citizen of the Year – Australia Day 2017 | Inner West Council
- Woman of the Year Award 2008 | New South Wales Government
Early Childhood Intervention Best Practice Network
- NSW Inquiry into Foundational and Disability Supports Available for Children and Young People in NSW – Submission from the Early Childhood Intervention Best Practice Network | April 2025
- Early Childhood Intervention and Therapeutic Supports for Children and Young People under Age 16 | March 2023
Videos
- Building Capacity Using Family Centres Approaches to Promote Children’s Best Life- February 2020
- Closing the 2019 Family Conference
Blog posts
- Family-Centred Practice: Are we there yet?
- Now & Next Capacity Building through Family Leadership, Peer Work and Education
- Disability and Friendships: What I Wish I Knew
- Family Agency is the foundation of Your child’s future
- Enhancing outcomes for children and families through team collaboration – Singapore Keynote 2024
