Annual Report 2018 - 2019
Message from the Board
On behalf of the NCNS Board of Directors, I would like to acknowledge the Darug people as the traditional custodians of the land we work on. I would like to pay my respects to Elders both past and present; to Aboriginal Directors and staff and our Aboriginal clients and community. As always, the Board and the staff of NCNS are committed to their values, mission and purpose, and this is illustrated by their continual progress in delivering quality, effective programs that address the current issues that our communities face, while facing funding uncertainty and the challenges this brings.
Some examples of this in action include our Steps to Healing program, ‘Talking about Trauma’ workshops and Functional Family Therapy – Child Welfare (FFT-CW). NCNS recognise and understand the impact of trauma, and the creation of our Steps to Healing program gives our community the opportunity to walk through their own journey of recovery, while utilising the specific tools and strategies this program delivers. ‘Talking about Trauma’ gives our community further opportunity to work towards healing thanks to our partnership with Integrated Violence Protection Response Service (IVPRS).
The recognition from the sector with the award received from NSW Health was well deserved, and very exciting! Our commitment to and consolidation of the FFT-CW program, sees our workers provide in-home therapeutic work that is proven to be effective – families are not only staying together, but are increasing their parenting skills, communication skills, and relationships, resulting in happier, healthier and safer families. Increasing our reach to Katoomba and Lithgow has given us some logistical challenges, but we know that having people on the ground where people live is vital in effective service delivery, and we are excited that we have been able to achieve this quickly. All of this is supported and supplemented by the work of our Youth, Community, Aboriginal, Parenting, Early Childhood and CTG teams, all demonstrating commitment, innovation, and professionalism. Setting the path for NCNS that supports our community and NCNS’ growth is the focus of the Directors, and we will continue to do this with passion and commitment in the best interests of our community, but also our staff.
The Board thanks Joy, our dedicated and tireless CEO, our Leadership Team, and our entire Project Staff, volunteers and students for their commitment, support, and continuing efforts to provide the best possible outcomes for our whole community. There have been changes to the Board this year. We said goodbye to our long-term Board member, Yvonne Porter, who provided support, leadership and passion for 8 years and will be sadly missed – thank you for all your hard work, Yvonne. We also welcomed Brad Forssman to the team, who has already proven to be a huge asset to the Board. To our other Board Members, Mary, Patricia, Janis and Joy – thank you for your continual support, dedication, hard work, and knowledge this year.
Sharon Williams Chairperson