Anglicare Southern Queensland

Emily is the Service Coordinator of our Homestay program in Toowoomba. She's been working with us since we started offering this program a year ago. Homestay aims to support people in maintaining sustainable housing. During this time, her team have been able to support 124 households. One of the things that she enjoys most about her job is working with her team and other community organisations to achieve positive outcomes for clients. Emily explained, "I was led by my desire to support those in need. I started off working with young people and knew that I wanted to work in the community sector," regarding her progression into this role. Congratulations, Emily and to your team for your hard work and dedication to providing positive sustainable housing outcomes for those in need. Head to https://lnkd.in/g6rJxf9r to learn more about our Homestay program.

Staff, families and children have been getting into the Christmas spirit in Caboolture with end of year celebrations sparking joy and excitement amongst young ones. Recently, the Caboolture Foster and Kinship Care team hosted a Christmas Party for their foster families and kids. The team also received an enormous amount of donations from the local community which will go towards helping to ease the pressures of our carers, this Christmas. What an amazing community. Thank you to those who support our teams and bring joy to those we work with. ❤️

Sujata is a Clinical Care Nurse at our Symes Grove Residential Aged Care home. She started with Anglicare almost 10 years ago as a Registered Nurse at our St Martin's home. She recently shared a bit about her role, her experience with Anglicare and what she loves most about her job. "I like the residents and I like Anglicare." Sujata shared. "A lot has changed since the beginning of my career. The job at St Martin’s was my first job as an RN. I have felt supported throughout as a graduate, I have learnt a lot clinically. One good thing is that staff feel like they can come to me whenever they need support and I’m proud of that. "We support each other, respect each other and celebrate diversity. We have plenty of different cultures here. It’s a safe environment for residents and staff. "As part of my role, I meet staff and see if they need help and assist with any challenging issues. I also liaise with families, hospitals, GPs and allied health. "For me it’s about the residents living in the home, feeling at home, maintaining their independence, respecting their choice, treating them as individuals. It’s really special when someone from the Memory Support area remembers you, that’s very rewarding for me." Thank you for sharing your story Sujata! If you would like to join our team, you can learn more at: https://bit.ly/4gowZJc #AgedCare #ResidentialAgedCare #WorkWithUs

By age 13, Sara* had no parent to care for her. At just 17, she was facing life on the streets. With around one-quarter of all Australians experiencing homelessness aged between 12 and 24, too many young people, like Sara, will spend the festive season lonely, hungry and homeless. Please help us to give them a safe place to sleep and the support they need for a better future. Donate now: https://bit.ly/3ZWlint *Names and images have been changed to protect the privacy of clients. #Donate #YouthHomelessness #ChristmasAppeal

Our CEO Sue Cooke spoke to Inside Ageing to reflect on the highlights for Anglicare Southern Queensland this year, and our key priorities for 2025. 

Meet Danielle. She's worked with Anglicare Southern Queensland for seven years across our women's homelessness and foster care services. For the last three years, she's been working within the Quality Assurance team. Here's what she had to share with us about her role. Q: What are you responsible for in your role? My role is responsible for supporting the out-of-home care portfolio across the organisation. This involves overseeing quality management, ensuring compliance with Human Service Quality Standards, and conducting data analysis and reporting to inform service delivery. Additionally, I implement internal audit schedules and provide training and guidance to teams on quality-related matters. The quality team serves as a vital support system, offering resources and expertise to enable teams to deliver high-quality services to those in need. Q: Why is Quality Assurance a critical function for our Children, Youth and Families services? It ensures that we deliver the best possible outcomes. By continuously improving our practices, we can positively impact the lives of those we serve. Q: What's the best part of your role? I genuinely enjoy the teams I support; their dedication to helping others on the front line humbles me every day. To be surrounded by colleagues who share a common passion for making a positive impact in the lives of those in need creates such a supportive and uplifting work environment. Q: What's the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you? The best piece of advice I've come across is from one of my favourite novelists, Michael Connelly: "Everyone matters or nobody matters." This resonates deeply with me because it emphasises the importance of recognising the value of every individual. Our interconnectedness means that the wellbeing of one affects us all and when we adopt this mindset, it becomes easier to be empathetic, compassionate and understanding... Thank you, Danielle, for all that you do with improving our out-of-home care services and improving its function for service users. #WorkWithUs #Careers

This week, Anglicare Southern Queensland and Anglican Church Southern Queensland Social Responsibilities Committee provided a submission to the Queensland Government on the Making Queensland Safer Bill 2024. With many others across Queensland, we believe this Bill will not make the community safer. All the evidence points to the harm it will do children, and the pressure it will put on already struggling youth detention centres and staff. The Bill disregards multiple elements of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and Queensland’s own Human Rights Act 2019. Even the Attorney-General admits that ‘The amendments will lead to sentences for children that are more punitive than necessary to achieve community safety.’ Queensland can do better. What if we redirected the billions of dollars spent ineffectively punishing our kids into evidence-based, trauma-informed care and initiatives? Imagine that. Read more in our submission linked in this post. QCOSS, Queensland Human Rights Commission, Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC), Youth Advocacy Centre (YAC), Queensland Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Child Protection Peak Ltd, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service (QLD) Ltd #youthjustice #advocacy

Today is International Day of Volunteers - a day we stop to recognise the incredible contribution of those who give up their time to help others. People like Beverley, our Volunteer of the Year recipient. Bev has dedicated 20 years as a Home and Community Services volunteer with Anglicare in Toowoomba, enriching lives as an Activities Assistant and Social Support Volunteer. Her compassion shines through in her friendships with clients, often visiting those who transitioned to aged care. Bev’s warmth and support, especially during heartfelt conversations, have made a lasting impact, leaving families deeply grateful for her kindness. Anglicare Southern Queensland is fortunate to have so many people who volunteer with us, across our organisation, and we are grateful to every single one of you - thank you. To learn more about becoming a volunteer with Anglicare, visit: https://bit.ly/3ZhKjrO Beverley (right) pictured with Sue Cooke being awarded Anglicare's 2024 'Volunteer of the Year'. #InternationalDayofVolunteers #Volunteers

Hiring: Youth Workers and a Practitioner in Gympie We recently had the pleasure of chatting to youth workers, Sandi and Summer, and a young person in residential care called Tom*. In this video, they discuss why youth workers should consider joining Anglicare and how their contribution could make a meaningful impact to the lives of young people, like Tom. If you live in Gympie and have experience working with children and young people, we're seeking youth workers and a practitioner to join our team. Click here to learn more today: https://bit.ly/3VlcYLh *Note: the name and voice of our young person has been altered to protect their safety and identity. #YouthWorker #Careers #WorkWithUs #Gympie #GympieJobs

We're excited to welcome Kane Singh to the team as our new Chief Operating Officer for Aged & Community Services. Looking forward to the leadership and impact he'll bring to Anglicare Southern Queensland.