Reconciliation Week | Dubbo forum | NCOSS Post Budget Breakfast

30 May 2024

National Reconciliation Week

It’s National Reconciliation Week this week. This year’s theme is ‘Now More Than Ever’ and it’s a good time to take a moment to think about how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

Reconciliation and justice for First Nations people must be part of our advocacy for a fairer and more inclusive NSW. As well as acknowledging past abuses, NCOSS is committed to speaking out about current policies that perpetuate racism and inequality – such as laws that send children to prison.

Show your support for reconciliation this week by attending a local event, reading about truth telling, hosting a screening of a Reconciliation Film Club movie, and sharing National Reconciliation Week posters in your language.

Regional Forum in Dubbo

Participants from 46 organisations from all over the Far West joined us for an incredible day at NCOSS’s regional forum in Dubbo last week.

We heard from some fantastic speakers on topics ranging from how we keep our communities safe, tackling the housing and homelessness challenges in Western NSW to how we can support a skilled social services sector.

Thank you to our hosts Mission Australia - Central & Far West and to all our speakers and participants.

Stay tuned for the next regional forum later in the year.

NCOSS Post Budget Breakfast

Please save the date on Tuesday 25 June for NCOSS’ Post Budget Breakfast.

Details for the event are being finalised but attendees can expect to hear about the state budget and how it affects the NSW Social Service sector from the Treasurer and a panel of NGO leaders will address the issues that matter to the NSW sector and the people we support.

Welcome to Daniel

Finally, I’d like to welcome Daniel Zhao who has joined NCOSS as a research officer this week. He will be helping us complete some data analysis and research projects. Welcome Daniel!

NCOSS is holding an online learning session for the NSW budget on 3 June from 10.30am-12.00pm.

The NSW budget is the most important annual political, economic and social document in the state.

Advocating for appropriate budgets – and scrutinising what's delivered – are important parts of NCOSS' work. Join us online as Catherine McGovern (Partner, Evaluate Consulting) gives a primer as well as refresher on the NSW Budget process.

Who should attend?

NSW not-for-profit peak body/sector leaders and workers, and relevant stakeholders who work with and across the NSW social services sector.

Staff who would like an introduction or refresher to the NSW budget
Sector ‘experts’ who would like to contribute knowledge, questions and ‘tips’.

View details and RSVP here.

“What is possible when we work together to support vulnerable people to be well prepared for future disasters?” This was the question for attendees at two emergency preparedness workshops held in Bega and Moruya last week.

Delivered by local project leads, Katungul Aboriginal Corporation Regional Health and Community Service and the Eden Community Access Centre as part of the Community Sector Disaster Capability project, the workshops involved a range of social service and emergency service participants from local, regional and statewide roles as well as some community members.

Participants heard how emergency management operates locally and explored ways to support local preparedness and planning. The workshops were an important networking opportunity, with identified actions and connections providing the basis for further collaboration.

Topics discussed included building connections, knowledge and communication across silos, First Nations approaches, and the need for recurrent funding to support disaster resilience. Disaster impacts on mental health, homelessness, domestic and family violence, and children were common themes.

The workshops were facilitated by experienced disaster resilience facilitators Dave Newell and Peter Pigott. A report on the workshops will be available in the coming weeks. Connections made and actions identified at the workshops provide the basis for future preparedness and planning by participating organisations. For more information, contact RebeccaE@katungul.org.au.

The Community Sector Disaster Capability Project is managed by NCOSS in collaboration with LCSA and AbSec and funded jointly by the Australian and NSW Governments through the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund.

Welfare Rights Centre is the only specialist community legal centre in NSW that helps people in crisis situations with Centrelink.

We offer free legal assistance to vulnerable people to access payments and resolve unfair debts.

For over 40 years our clients have included women leaving abusive relationships, persons with disability seeking to live independently in the community, youth completing higher education, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as well as people and communities rebuilding their lives after natural disasters.

Unless we secure urgent support from the Federal and NSW Governments, Welfare Rights Centre will lose 40% of its funding from 1 July 2024 and be forced to significantly reduce our staffing and service levels, including our First Nations Access Project.

Please sign and share this petition if you believe that the government should ensure Welfare Rights Centre is adequately funded, so we can continue to help the most vulnerable people in our community.

Building on the inaugural NIDR Summit 2023, the NIDR Gathering 2024 is a multi-day immersive event showcasing Indigenous excellence and leadership in emergency and land management and disaster resilience across Australia.

This unique gathering will take place in Lismore, Bundjalung Country, and will bring together Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers, emergency management practitioners and agency executives to build awareness, share knowledge, connect and create and support an Indigenous-led conversation on disaster resilience.

Across the three days, guests will be invited to join keynote addresses, panel discussions, workshops and on Country activities, and will have the option of onsite camping.

24-26 September, Lismore Showgrounds.
Register here.

In partnership with Women’s Health Goulburn North East, Australia reMADE have launched a new toolkit.

Care through Disaster in Practice - a toolkit for leaders from the citizen to the state breaks down the tangible contributions we can make as citizens, community organisations, through all levels of government, to build a new infrastructure of care at a scale required for communities to thrive through increasing systemic disaster risk.

It brings together place-based expertise and lived experience insights from the Goulburn Valley and north-eastern Victorian regions, with research on the public good, wellbeing government and emerging best practice case studies nationally and internationally – to offer an ambitious and practical toolkit for change.

View the toolkit here.

Bondi Beach Book Swap
1 June, 2.30pm - 5pm
Free | More info here

This Reconciliation Week join a Great Book Swap to support the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) to provide books and learning resources to children living in remote Communities across Australia.

The Great Book Swap is a fantastic way to celebrate reading locally, learn more about Indigenous languages and culture, and raise funds for a great cause.

This year the ILF are aiming raise $150,000 to gift 15,000 new books to remote Communities.

Combat Racism and Support First Nations Communities
City of Sydney
3 June, Redfern Community Centre
Free | Register here

As part of Reconciliation Week, join the City of Sydney for an insightful conversation facilitated by Dr Georgia Durmush a proud Aboriginal, Wailwan and Gomeroi woman, mother, researcher and academic.

The session will be a combination of presentation, short videos, and will end with a yarning circle discussion for participants to reflect. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue and gain valuable insights into combating racism.

Workplace Wellbeing Strategy
Benefolk Foundation
5 June, online
$28-$48 | Register here

Rolling natural and unnatural disasters, cost-of-living and other pressures are leaving our teams, and ourselves exhausted. Some organisations are also discovering they’re not compliant when it comes to having a mentally healthy workplace.

In this 60-minute masterclass, our workplace wellbeing specialist Leanne Hart will run you through our Wellbeing Strategy toolkit to help you review your existing strategies, and/or add new strategies to prevent and protect your team and volunteers from harm.

She will also give you a tour of The Community Well resource hub, where you can access resources, tools, assessments and policies to support wellbeing, leadership and governance in 2024.

The Caring Journey
Mental Health Carers NSW
13 June, online
Free | Register here

All carers go through a ‘caring journey’ and everyone’s journey is different. Entering into a caring role is not always a conscious choice and can be challenging and confronting at times.

Educating oneself helps us to have awareness of why we think and feel the way we do and become more mindful of the way we interact with others, empowering us in our caring capacity.

By the end of this course, you will know the different stages to expect of your caring journey, understand the dynamics which can be at play in your evolving relationships, become aware of your own resilience and have hope for the future by covering the topics of Change, Power Dynamics, Solution Focused and Resilience theories.

Navigating cultural differences and ethical dilemmas when working with culturally diverse families
Emerging Minds
26 June, online
Free | Register here

This webinar will explore how to navigate cultural differences and ethical dilemmas when working with culturally and linguistically diverse families.

This webinar will help you:

Maintain humility and curiosity when cultural differences and ethical dilemmas arise in your work
Navigate conversations with children and families from cultures that are different from your own, particularly when cultural differences arise, so that you can maintain culturally sensitive practice
Reflect on and challenge your own assumptions, judgements and biases when ethical dilemmas arise due to cultural differences.

Movember’s Indigenous Men’s Wellbeing Innovation Initiative Grant

Closing Date: 31 May

Movember are seeking Expressions of Interest for the Indigenous Men’s Wellbeing Innovation Initiative, which will provide grant funding and capacity building opportunities to empower Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander-led organisations to develop, implement and evaluate innovative programs/interventions to improve Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander men’s social and emotional wellbeing.

For more information, please visit the grant information page.

Some of the latest from our Jobs Board:

NDIS Appeal Advocate (Western Sydney) - Self Advocacy Sydney - VIEW JOB

Receptionist/Administration Officer (Greater Blue Mountains) - Blue Mountains Women's Health & Resource Centre - VIEW JOB

School Liaison Officer (Western Sydney) - NSW STARTTS - VIEW JOB

Case Manager Community Worker (North Shore) - The Northern Centre - VIEW JOB

Care Coordinator/Counsellor (Sydney city) - ACON - VIEW JOB

Community Services Worker AOD (Southern Highlands) - WHOS - VIEW JOB

Case Worker (Camden) - Blue Wren House - Camden Women’s Shelter - VIEW JOB

NCOSS gives its members the opportunity to share their stories, research, resources, events and more through NCOSS eNews. If you have something to share with the sector, send through a short blurb (50-70 words), image (250 x 250px) and relevant links to info@ncoss.org.au.

We will endeavour to add it to an edition of NCOSS e-News (goes out every fortnight on Thursday morning). Deadline for content is 5:00pm on Monday, the week of publication. Due to the public holiday, the next deadline is Tuesday, June 11 2024.