The NSW Aboriginal Child and Family awards are held annually by AbSec to acknowledge those working to support Aboriginal families throughout the state, celebrating individuals and organisations that have made remarkable contributions and outstanding achievements to improving outcomes for our children.
Thank you to everyone who put forward nominations this year. We were overwhelmed with not only the number of nominations but also the quality and hard work that individuals and organisations have been doing in the community and this made it extremely tough for our independent judging panel to select the winners.
This year was a year like no other, and it made the contributions of all our award winners and nominees even more important. COVID-19 had a significant impact, especially on Aboriginal communities, and it was heartening to see so many stories of people stepping up in the community.
Unfortunately due to the pandemic we were unable to hold an event this year to announce our winners and celebrate their contributions in the way that we would have hoped, however, we have never been more appreciative of their work.
This award recognises the achievements of an Aboriginal Young Person aged under 25 years for their leadership and contribution to their community.
Leticia is a leader and mentor to her peers. She spent most of her life in the child protection system, as did her siblings. With her own experience in the child protection system, Leticia has been able to use this to look at ways of improving services for children and young people as a caseworker in the Dubbo area. She is currently employed with Uniting Care, in a role in a pilot project as a Youth Development Coach. This has her mentoring young people and providing a smoother transition to independent living. She works alongside other caseworkers to support young people aged 15-21 years.
Despite being young, Leticia has been providing a voice for Aboriginal children and young people with a care experience in NSW for some time now. She has been active in participating in forums, conferences and interviews to provide insight into the needs of Aboriginal young people who have been removed from their families and placed into care. Leticia has also been a valued member of Family and Community Service Youth Advisory Council representing young people with a care experience, represented young people on the Dubbo Youth Council, as an AbSec Youth Ambassador, with Create Foundation and has worked and volunteered at the Dubbo Neighbourhood Centre and as a dance instructor.
Through all of her work in the community, Leticia has had a huge impact, especially for children and those with an experience of care. She is currently in the process of developing a website for her personal blog, embracing her story, who she is and who she is evolving into. This will be a massive step in her own healing and growth, but also in providing an opportunity for others to connect, understand and share.
This award recognises the outstanding contributions of a carer for an Aboriginal child or young person.
Helen is a descendent of the Muruwari nation from Brewarrina in Far Western NSW. She was raised in the country and has strong connections to her culture and community. Not unlike many Aboriginal women of her age, Helen has experienced the effects of transgenerational trauma and also felt the heartache of seeing it impact others in her family. Helen took on the care of her grandchildren when her daughter was deemed unable to be the primary caregiver due to personal struggles, and she balances this with working fulltime in a senior role within South Western Sydney local health district.
Helen has instilled in her grandchildren a strong connection to culture, Country and mob. She is generous and empathises with her people’s struggles. She has contributed as a carer representative on AbSec panels, and the feedback of her experiences on caring for her grandchildren has been extremely insightful. Helen shares her knowledge about Brewarinna, Weilwan and Ngemba mobs, taking her grandchildren back to Country, teaching them about the bush and the different properties of ochre and what they mean.
Helen and her children have faced discrimination before, and this has driven her to advocate for change in the local health district, making health services more culturally responsive. Her willingness to share her life stories has helped organisations and committees create the changes required to improve their practices, and she has remained a strong advocate for culture and the importance of practical cultural plans. Maintaining identity is important to Helen, and her understanding of the strength and resilience gained from being culturally connected as an Aboriginal person helps all of those around her.
This award recognises the contributions of an Aboriginal person to the welfare and wellbeing of Aboriginal families and their community. Awarded to an Aboriginal community member that has demonstrated outstanding commitment to, and positive impact on, the wellbeing of families and communities.
Monica is a longstanding member of the Wilcannia community having lived her whole life there. She is a passionate Barkinji woman who stands up for her community and has been working tirelessly with agencies to gain suicide prevention resources for young Aboriginal people and is a devoted caregiver within her extended family. Monica has multiple paid positions in the community as well as being involved in volunteer work such as her role as the current chairperson of the Wilcannia Aboriginal Community Working Party and determinedly advocating to politicians and scientists about issues of importance in the region like the Darling River (Baaka).
During the pandemic, Monica made immense contributions to her community. She participated in the Local Emergency Management meetings convened by the Central Darling Shire and NSW Police, making sure that the needs and concerns of local people were heard. As well as this, Monica recognised that many families were struggling to adequately cater for themselves and to help, started a grassroots meals on wheels program. The initiative is now supported with funding from Maari Ma and Aboriginal Affairs with her team now making up to 50 meals a day, three days a week for vulnerable community members and has been reported on by ABC Broken Hill.
The impact of Monica’s hard work has been felt on many levels. Her community kitchen has been alleviating pressure on families in overcrowded housing during the lockdown and improving food security and nutrition for the community’s Elders and most vulnerable. Importantly, doing this has also brought a sense of connection to people who were physically and socially isolated. Monica’s leadership and advocacy has also inspired others with her fierce campaigning for the wellbeing of her community, whether it is for the environment, opportunities for young people or mental health, always noticed.
This award recognises an Aboriginal Practitioner’s excellence in achieving positive outcomes for Aboriginal children and young people, their families and communities.
Barbara Cohen is a proud Aboriginal woman from the Dunghutti Nation who was born and raised in the Kempsey area. She comes from a large family who have experienced the effects of incarceration and understands the impact it can have on children. Barbara joined SHINE for Kids in 2010 as an Aboriginal Group Worker to facilitate the Belonging to Family Program at the Mid North Coast Correctional Centre. Her passion is to support her people to make positive choices and to have a healthier lifestyle.
Through her work in the Belonging to Family program, Barbara has successfully assisted incarcerated Aboriginal parents, their children and families to address the complex issues that influence criminal behaviour such as poverty, drug and alcohol use, lack of cultural identity or belonging, and ensuring that support mechanisms are in place to reduce the likelihood of re-offending. A holistic approach by her team helps Barbara work with inmates as well as their family, children, Elders and community agencies to strengthen supportive family relationships, build safer communities and reduce recidivism rates.
Over 10 years, Barbara’s work with children and families on the Mid North Coast has had life-changing impacts. In 2019 alone, 31 male and female inmates, 31 partners and their 80 children were supported by the SHINE team led by Barbara, while engaging 18 community Elders and a network of 108 local community organisations. The success this has achieved for Aboriginal families has meant that participants lead fulfilling lives and are engaged in their community, breaking the cycle of intergeneration offending becoming positive role models for their children.
This award recognises the contribution of a non-Aboriginal agency in partnering with Aboriginal communities in service design and delivery, achieving improved outcomes for Aboriginal families and communities.
This could include a team or an organisation.
YWCA is a leading feminist organisation working towards a future where all women, young women and girls are equal, safe and respected while eliminating violence against women and children and providing safe harbour to those in need. YWCA supports Ngunya Jarjum, an Aboriginal community-controlled foster care support agency in Northern NSW, and also the Aboriginal community in Lismore and the surrounding area.
The YWCA Lismore and Murwillumbah team have completely immersed themselves into the Aboriginal community and helped achieve outcomes that would not be possible if they were not actively involved in the way that they are. They run a number of programs and initiatives that have had a positive impact, including: Communities for Children, Our Happy Women, Youth Arts Café, Ngulliboo Muggi – All of Us Strong, Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters (HIPPY), Kids 4 Life (K4L), Listening to Children projects, NATSIC Day and Reconciliation Week.
The results of not just the programs YWCA are involved in, but also their willingness to walk together with the local Aboriginal community have been incredible. They have helped promote Aboriginal culture for children and families, develop the skills and experience of parents, provide services for children, improve wellbeing and mental health outcomes and promote upskilling and learning for women. All of these initiatives have been very impactful for children and have improved the community as a whole.
This award recognises an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation demonstrating excellence in service delivery to their community, achieving lasting positive outcomes for Aboriginal children and young people, their families and their communities.
Deadly Connections provides strong support for the Aboriginal community, particularly for those who have been impacted by the criminal justice and/or child protection systems. They offer a range of vital and valuable programs and services for Aboriginal people, families and their community, as well as partake in a range of advocacy work alongside other organisations. Deadly Connections employs a community-centred, culturally responsive approach with holistic programs that create brighter futures for children, families and communities.
Deadly Connection places culture and healing at the centre of its service delivery. They adopt a multifaceted approach to connect Aboriginal people to a range of services which not only support their individualised needs but are also culturally competent and safe. A range of measures are implemented to ensure that their programs are also culturally competent such as having programs delivered by Aboriginal staff with lived experience of the criminal justice or child protection system, respecting clients cultural traditions and promoting self-determination in all their programs to empower people to take back control of their lives. Their programs include: Breaking the Cycle, Deadly Families, Deadly Jargums, Street Smart.
Deadly Connections has created many positive outcomes for their clients and their community from day-by-day support, to helping clients take back control of their lives. They have seen countless people diverted away from the criminal justice system and reunited their clients with children who have been separated from them. There have been a number of inspiring individual success stories thanks to Deadly Connections, though they are only some of the many people helped by this organisation.
Aboriginal Carer Support
Aboriginal Carer Support
Child Protection Helpline
Child Protection Helpline
AbSec would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which we will meet to discuss important matters, the Mulgoa clan of the Dharug Nation. We pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
AbSec acknowledges the Stolen Generations who never came home and the ongoing impact of government policy and practice on Aboriginal children, young people and families.
AbSec would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which we will meet to discuss important matters, the Mulgoa clan of the Dharug Nation. We pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
AbSec acknowledges the Stolen Generations who never came home and the ongoing impact of government policy and practice on Aboriginal children, young people and families.
