A talented team from Mission Australia’s South West Youth Peer Education (SWYPE) program opened and closed the event with a song.
The team performed two songs before meeting Premier Kristina Keneally and the Minister for Community Services, Linda Burney.
According to Mission Australia’s Acting Manager Southern NSW Cheryl O’Donnell, the SWYPE team – vocalist Keri Palemani, Jonathan Pita, Nia Ahmu and SWYPE Performing Arts Co-ordinator Sanjay Hona – did the program proud:
“They have the most outstanding voices and musical talent and held the 80-plus audience captivated while performing the songs,” said Cheryl. “They are a credit to the program.”
Cheryl was among the community services representatives who took part in a panel discussion about Keep Them Safe initiative - the Government’s plan to improve the safety, welfare and wellbeing of children and young people in NSW.
Keep Them Safe was published in March 2009 following the Honourable James Wood’s Special Commission of Inquiry into Child Protection Services, and came into effect in January 2010.
Cheryl was joined on the panel by Inspector Gary Groves, Manager of the Police Child Wellbeing Unit; Angie Weir, Manager of the Dubbo Family Referral Unit and Craig Smith, Principal of Woniora Road School in Sydney’s Hurstville.
Panel members were asked how Keep Them Safe had changed their day-to-day work; how they are working differently with Government agencies and non-government organisations; and to give an example of someone that has been assisted through the program.
“We were very positive about better communications and being able to work jointly with the police, education and health services in order to provide the best outcomes for families,” Cheryl said.
“I gave an example of a family we assisted on the Brighter Futures program and relayed feedback we received from a mother, saying it was something that would stay with our staff forever. The mother told us: ‘I would have been lost without you. You saved me and my boys’ and ‘I wish I'd met you years ago’.
“At the end,” Cheryl added, “Justice Woods remarked that he was overwhelmed by the way our programs have assisted families above expectations.”
At the launch, the Minister for Community Services, Linda Burney, announced the rollout of two new services as part of Keep Them Safe Plan: Whole Family Teams to help parents with drug, alcohol or mental health issues in Lismore, Newcastle, Wyong and Nowra; and new Family Referral Services programs in Tamworth and Wollongong.
To access the Keep Them Safe annual report, visit www.keepthemsafe.nsw.gov.au
Above photo (from left): Mission Australia’s SWYPE performers with the Minister for Community Services, Linda Burney.
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