She has held the role for more than 17 years and has been a union member for the entire time she has worked for Corrective Services NSW.

“My role means I am a mentor who supervises both staff and inmates,” she said. “I like that it is a challenging job and no two days are the same. Some days you are redirecting someone’s self-harm thoughts or challenging behaviours, and the next you can be having a conversation with an inmate about their family outside. “I work in a mental-health unit, which brings its own challenges. I work very closely in a multidisciplinary team with Justice Health to do our utmost for the women in our care. In this situation we need to provide a consistent approach. This can be challenging with two bodies approaching issues in a different way.”

Without workers like Emma, there would be no assistance for some of the most vulnerable women in the state’s corrective system