Send us Fan Mail Episode 30 Guest - Darren Caulfield & Lilly McEldowney On today’s episode for the first time ever on BFP, I am joined with 54-year-old Father of three Darren and by his side is his 21 year old daughter Lilly. In 2016, Darren Caulfield, a single father of three beautiful children wanted to create a private, safe, and neutral environment for parents and families who are going through difficult times to spend time with their children. Darren, together with his mother, Pamela Caulfield, an experienced Social Worker who has over 30 years of experience working in the Indigenous, migrant, and community services sector, established Lilly Pilly to meet this need. Darren is a Nationally Accredited AMDRAS Mediator, Accredited with the Australian Mediation Association and a Parenting Coordinator with Parenting Coordination Australia. The inspiration of Lilly Pilly is Lilly McEldowney (nee. Caulfield). Lilly’s mum and dad (yes, Darren) separated when she was very young. Lilly was the original child representative on the Lilly Pilly Board. Lilly comes from a Child Care background and is currently completing her Graduate Diploma of Family Dispute Resolution to become a Registered FDRP with the Attorney-General’s Department. Lilly most recently spoke at the “ Queensland Families and Children Commission 2026 Youth Summitt”. Both Darren and Lilly are Qualified Justices of the Peace, JP (Qual). Lilly Pilly is very proud to have a ‘child representative’ in their constitution who sits on the board that represents the children of separated families. Darren, a Brisbane native who moved to Townsville at 15. After working in the mines in New Guinea, Darren returned to Townsville to attend James Cook University, where he met his Lilly's mother at age 30. Three years into that relationship, their daughter, Lily, was born. Darren recounts the day he returned home to find a note stating that his partner and Lily had left, leading him to reflect on whether his work schedule contributed to the separation. Over the next two years, Darren fought to stay in Lily’s life, making 112 round-trip flights to Townsville in the first year and 144 in the second year. By age three, Lilly was a Qantas Gold member; the airline staff knew them so well they even gifted Lilly a Dora the Explorer doll for Christmas. We also discuss these events in the context of the Howard Government's family law reforms regarding shared parental responsibility. Five years later, Darren met a teacher at Lily’s school, with whom he had two sons. Unfortunately, that relationship also ended, and in 2014, Darren began a two-year legal battle to secure a judgment regarding his boys. Darren, who opened his own supervision contact centre in 2016 after navigating the challenges of the family court system. In this episode, we delve into the operations of supervision centres, covering essential topics such as: - Intake processes and initial risk assessments. - Determining required supervision levels. - Handling corrections and child safety matters (low-risk vs. high-risk). - Protocol for Amber Alerts and non-returns. - The differences between privately owned and government-funded centres. - Managing reports, notes, and subpoenas. - General policies and procedures. Darren emphasizes that their role is not to dictate parenting styles, but to provide a safe environment, supported by 26 cameras across the property. We also answer specific questions submitted by my followers. Additionally, I speak with Lilly about her journey from law student to childcare professional. She shares her story of finding her calling in education and her personal life since high school. Support the show
