As a budding social worker, when I tell people that my interest is in the policy and procedure side of social work, they often question me with puzzled faces. ‘if you’re studying social work, doesn’t that mean you want to work with and help kids, women and poor people?’. My answer...
This year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) campaign centres around encouraging collective action, to champion for gender-balance in all areas of business and community. Previously a day to mark the actions of the women speaking out about unfair conditions in the workplace, IWD has now evolved into a global celebration of women’s achievements across social, political, cultural and economic areas. IWD aspires to create a platform, for women and men to embrace a sense of collective responsibility and affect positive change.
Western Sydney’s everyday heroes were in the spotlight at the 9th Annual ZEST Awards on 15 February, celebrating exceptional people and projects in the community. Led by Western Sydney Community Forum with major partners Western Sydney University, National Australia Bank, City of Parramatta Council, and Wentworth Community Housing, the ZEST Awards showcase Western Sydney’s inspiring stories of resilience, strength and innovation.
On Wednesday 7 November, WSCF staff attended the Healthy Ageing Forum in Granville, hosted by Multicultural NSW, facilitated by Granville State member Tony Issa MP, with panelists includng the Minister for Multiculturalism, the Hon. Ray Williams MP and the Minister for Ageing, the Hon. Tanya Davies MP.
Anastasia Sadovaya is a case manager and Team Leader at St Simeon’s Health Care, and Coordinator of Home Care Services - and a 2018 Generation CommunitY Alumnus. Generation Community is a leadership program for young people, delivered annually by Western Sydney Community Forum, which is aimed at developing knowledge, skills and goals toward a self-defined career in leadership and managerial roles. Over 6 months, participants delve into discovering what motivates them in their work and aspirations, working on ways to constructively harness their strengths and work with any perceived limitations.
The Communities of Change Roadshows are underway, delivering key insights from the Communities of Change Report, throughout the local government areas of Western Sydney. The Roadshow sessions are an opportunity to ask questions and discuss the report with WSCF specialists and facilitators, specifically relating the data to current and future service delivery in local government areas.
The 2018 NAIDOC week theme focuses on the essential role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women play as leaders and change makers - in families, communities, across industries - and the way this continues to define and inform Australian history and culture. The experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in Australia is unique: striving against social, systemic barriers and marginalisation, surviving effects of intergenerational trauma, whilst achieving a powerful sense of identity as well as distinctive, far-reaching impacts on local and global politics, planning and culture.
WSCF Regional Community Care Forums this month were held in two sessions, focused on Aged Care and Disability respectively, with feature guest speakers delivering presentations to address some of the current issues arising from recent developments and updates in these areas. More than 60 Community Care agencies attended the Aged Care focused session, held in Penrith City Council Nepean Room on June 26. Guest speaker Tanya Travis-Smith, from the NSW Government Department of Health and Ageing, covered a range of issues including the extension to CHSP contracts, the new manual, wellness approach, reablement and restorative care.
The NSW Government released its much-anticipated Budget this week. I was excited. We had the recent signing of the Western Sydney City Deal. We saw a strong public discourse of governing ‘with heart’. And we have an election(s) looming. I was excited and keen to hear how this would all play out in reality, to get to the heart of priorities across Western Sydney and beyond, in NSW. What I found is that this Budget, in the main, begins to address some of the infrastructure priorities of the region but has some considerable way to go before it gets close to being a Budget that will foster, sustain and improve community wellbeing and liveability.
Joint Media Release St Vincent de Paul Society NSW and Western Sydney Community Forum Parramatta, 23 May 2018: The release of a major report on the changing landscape of Western Sydney reveals important insights which could impact future planning and investment in community health and wellbeing. The ‘Communities of Change: Western Sydney Now and Into the Future’ report, a collaboration between Western Sydney Community Forum and St Vincent de Paul Society NSW, highlights areas of potential shortfalls in investment and service delivery.
