NAIDOC Week

MEDIA RELEASE                                                                              
5 July 2010

Working in partnership with Aboriginal organisations and communities

UnitingCare Children, Young People and Families (UCCYPF) will be celebrating NAIDOC Week 2010 with a variety of events around New South Wales.

UCCYPF Chief Executive Officer Jane Woodruff said, “UCCYPF is committed to working in partnership with Aboriginal organisations and communities to address disadvantage and to make sure that the services provided are holistic, appropriate, culturally competent and, where possible, provided by Aboriginal people.”

In 2008-09, UnitingCare Burnside assisted 1,083 Aboriginal people (nearly 15 per cent of total service users). In some of the regional areas Aboriginal people make up 60% of service users.

“In 2007, UCCYPF introduced an Aboriginal Employment Strategy to create employment opportunities, traineeships and cadetships for Aboriginal people and to provide our staff with training, career development and mentoring. In April 2010, Burnside employed 47 Aboriginal staff (9.6% of our total staff) up from just 10 Aboriginal staff when the Strategy was introduced. As well, more than 90% of all staff have undertaken compulsory cultural awareness training,” Ms Woodruff said.

UCCYPF has also produced a detailed set of Aboriginal Service Delivery Principles and an Aboriginal Staff Advisory Committee, Jaanamili, has been established to guide the work and assist in implementing the service delivery principles and employment strategy. A Manager of Aboriginal Services and Development was appointed this year to further aid UCCYPF’s recruitment and retention of Aboriginal staff and to enhance services to Aboriginal people and communities.

Statewide activities during NAIDOC Week 2010 include:

• July 6 - Celebrations at Campbelltown Town Hall (9824 6588)

• July 6 - Bidwill Newpin Family Centre celebrations (9628 0897)

• July 6 - Social Justice and Communication morning tea, Parramatta

• July 7 - Bidwill Newpin Fathers Centre will be holding children’s activities (9671 7016)

• July 8 - Biripi Baby Show, Parent Links, Purfleet Community Centre (6553 3992)

• July 8 - Cabramatta Multicultural Family Centre celebrations (9781 3333)

• July 8 - South West Sydney Brighter Futures and Thawaral Brighter Futures will be    celebrating at Airds Thawaral Corporation

• July 9 - Dubbo service users’ celebrations (6885 2353)

Media enquiries contact Mark Warren 02 9407 3217 or 0438 294 938