Dr Deborah Lynch is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work in the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work at The University of Queensland (UQ). She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) and has published widely on systems, policies and practices in health, education and justice that impact on children, young people, families, and communities. Deborah is committed to international outreach, engagement and leadership in research and education. Deborah grounds her teaching and learning in social justice and human rights, critical thinking and working collectively to nurture dynamic, innovative forms of practice that can respond to contemporary community, environmental and societal issues. Through her international research collaborations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Sweden, Canada and Singapore, she contributes to interdisciplinary leadership in collaborative projects and journal publications. She has been researching student attendance issues with an interdisciplinary research team, undertaking commissioned work with the Queensland Department of Education. The presentation at the BERA Conference: Towards a School-Community Based Approach to Addressing Student Attendance Issues: School Leaders’ Perspectives in September 2025 showcased an Australian Research Council (ARC) funded Discovery Project (2022-2025) which is a research collaboration with Professor Martin Mills, Research Professor in the School of Teacher Education and Leadership at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Professor Annemaree Carroll in the School of Education at UQ. The research project focuses on how school-community partnerships underpinned by social justice principles can enable and empower young people experiencing disadvantages and vulnerabilities to engage in education.