2003 National Child Protection Awards
Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Larry Anthony, announced that Victorian-based organisation, Child Wise, was the overall winner of the third biennial National Child Protection Awards at a ceremony in Sydney tonight.
Child Wise won the award for their Choose With Care program which gives service providers simple and practical child abuse prevention strategies, step-by-step guides and models of best practice to help reduce opportunities for child abuse to occur.
The National Child Protection Awards are sponsored by the Australian Council for Children and Parenting and this year are part of the 9th Australasian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect in Sydney.
Mr Anthony said he was inspired by the calibre of work being carried out by community service organisations right around Australia.
“These organisations are making a positive and very real difference to children’s lives through their efforts to reduce and prevent child abuse and neglect. The National Child Protection Awards symbolise and pay tribute to the efforts of thousands of unsung heroes involved in children’s issues around the country who are working towards this goal.
“By continuing to highlight and commend these organisations’ innovative work, we are also encouraging and inspiring others to find new ways of looking after Australia’s children.
“Child abuse is most effectively prevented when we all work together. We owe it to our children to ensure that every Australian child has the chance to a safe, healthy and happy life,” Mr Anthony said.
Six awards and seven highly commended certificates were presented for Development, Capacity Building and Strengthening, Indigenous Services and Early Childhood Care. The overall winner, Child Wise, also received $10,000 in prize money.
A list of winners and those highly commended is below. Further information on the Awards can be found at www.facs.gov.au.
2003 National Child Protection Award Winners
Overall Winner – Child Wise, Choose With Care program, VIC
Community Development, Capacity Building and Strengthening
- Children’s and Youth Services
Winner – Emergency Accommodation Support Enterprise, Solving the Jigsaw, Changing the Culture of Violence project, NSW
Highly Commended – Rosie’s Place, Resource Development project, NSW
Highly Commended – North Queensland Domestic Violence Resource Service, Aardvarc program, QLD - Family Services
Winner – Community Programs Incorporated, NSW
Highly Commended – Uniting Care Burnside, Intensive Family Based Service, NSW
Highly Commended – Playgroup Queensland, Sing and Grow project, QLD - Indigenous Services
Winner – Danila Dilba Health Services, Emotional and Social Well Being Centre, NT - Supporting Service Providers
Winner – Child Wise, Choose with Care program, VIC
Highly Commended – Australian Council for Children and Youth Organisation Inc, VIC - Educational Programs or Campaign
Winner – Uniting Care Burnside, Keeping Children Safe program, NSW
Highly Commended – Danila Dilba Health Services, Publications project, NT - Early Childhood Care
Winner – SDN Children’s Services, Waterloo Parent Resource program, NSW
Highly Commended – Cooloon Children’s Centre Incorporated, NSW