CLAIRE VARLEY · CONSULTANT & AUTHOR
Working together for meaningful change.
I’m Claire Varley, a consultant working with organisations to build safer, healthier and more equitable communities.
I bring together evidence, strategic thinking and creative approaches to help organisations develop and deliver effective work.
Based on Wadawurrung Country in Geelong, working with organisations across Victoria and Australia.
Collaborate. Create. Communicate. Change.
Making complex work clearer, stronger and more effective.
You might know what you want to achieve, but getting there can involve complex evidence, different perspectives and plenty of moving parts.
Whether you’re developing something new or strengthening work already underway, I can help you bring the pieces together and find a practical way forward.
How I can help
I support government, community and social justice organisations to deliver effective health promotion, primary prevention and community development work.
Strategic planning and organisational development
Helping organisations clarify where they’re going, what matters most and what they need to get there.
What this looks like depends on the organisation, project and problem we're trying to solve.
Project design, delivery and evaluation
Helping design and deliver strong, evidence-based projects — and understand what’s working, what isn’t and why
Knowledge translation and capacity-building
Turning complex information and evidence into practical, accessible resources, tools and training.
Consultation, engagement and co-design
Bringing people together to share their knowledge and perspectives, build understanding and shape better decisions and solutions.
Research, analysis and strategic writing
Delivering evidence-based reports and recommendations to inform effective action.
An approach grounded in evidence and community knowledge
I've spent much of my career working in and alongside the community and not-for-profit sector, and that experience shapes how I approach my work.
I believe good work is shaped by the people most affected by it — communities, practitioners and organisations invested in social change.
My approach brings together evidence, policy, sector expertise and community knowledge to develop practical solutions that support lasting change.
With a background spanning both consulting and professional writing, I also bring a strong focus on clear communication, helping clients turn complex thinking into work that can be understood and put into practice.
Selected clients
I’ve worked with organisations across health promotion, primary prevention, gender equality, gender-based violence and community development, including:
Respect Victoria
Our Watch
Sexual Assault Services Victoria
Victorian Women’s Health Services Network
Women’s Health and Wellbeing Barwon South West
Women’s Health Goulburn North East
Women’s Health Victoria
Women with Disabilities Victoria
World Health Organization – Western Pacific Region
Selected work
Safe Teams, Strong Businesses toolkit (2026)
WHSN Impact Report 2025 (and Understanding Health Promotion companion animation) (2025)
Men in Focus: Consultation report (2024)
Small Change, Big Impacts: Women’s Health Services Network collective impact report, Small Change, Big Impact: Two Years on (2023 and 2024)
Celebrating Women’s Voices in the Western Pacific Region (2021)
Towards Gender Transformative Practice Knowledge Paper (2019)
About Claire
I've spent twenty years working on community health and safety initiatives across Australia and the Pacific, including extensive experience in gender-based violence prevention across primary prevention, early intervention and response.
I've supported projects and programs across health and community services, sport, higher education, police and justice, and local and state government, working alongside communities most impacted by inequitable systems and structures.
This experience gives me a strong understanding of the environments my clients work in and the challenges they're seeking to address.
Books, writing and speaking
Alongside my consulting work, I’m the author of two novels published by Pan Macmillan: The Bit in Between and The Book of Ordinary People.
My fiction, non-fiction and poetry have also appeared in Overland (read Tumble here), Going Down Swinging, The Big Issue, Kill Your Darlings, The Victorian Writer and various anthologies.
My fiction has been shortlisted for the Local Word Writing Prize 2023 (read The Button Story here) and Seizure Viva La Novella 2 competition, and I was the recipient of a 2019 Varuna Residential Fellowship.
I love opportunities to speak about writing, creativity and the journey to publication at schools, libraries and other events.
Let's talk
Whether you know exactly what you need or would like some help talking it through, I'd love to hear from you.
Tell me a little about what you're working on, and we can explore how we might work together.
Email: [email protected]
For literary enquiries, I’m represented by Grace Heifetz at a4 Literary.
© Claire Varley 2026 | Brand + Web Design by Leysa Flores Design