An organisation that developed an innovative youth intervention model to reduce the number of young people entering the juvenile justice system, was one of eight winners at last night’s 19th biennial Community Services Excellence Awards.
Save the Children’s pilot Youth Partnership Project in Armadale engages State and local governments, the not-for-profit sector and local elders to improve outcomes for young people with complex needs.
Other winners were: Befriend, Crawley; Tuart Place, Fremantle; Parkerville Children and Youth Care, Armadale; Youth Involvement Council, South Hedland; and Gumala Aboriginal Corporation, East Perth.
Two outstanding people were also honoured. Dellys Sice won the Above and Beyond award for her tireless community and leadership work with the Manjimup Family Centre and local community. Dawn Wallam, a Bibbelmun Wadandi woman of the Noongar nation, won the award for Excellence in Leadership for her work in the social service sector over the past 40 years. She was also honoured for her role as CEO of Yorganop, Western Australia’s first Aboriginal Community Controlled Foster Agency.
The Community Services Excellence Awards are a partnership between the State Government and the WA Council of Social Services (WACOSS).
A list of winners follows. For more information, visit http://www.wacossconference.org.au/csea-awards/