Award Winners - 2003

Recipients of the Robin Clark Memorial Awards 2003 were announced on 28 April 2003 at a ceremony which recognised the outstanding service and inspirational leadership of five community care sector workers.

Awards were presented by Former Community Services Minister, Sherryl Garbutt for two categories:

• Inspirational Leadership in the Field, and
• Making a difference in working with Children, Young People and Families.

Pictured: Winners from left to right - Yvonne Luke, Jenny Cummings, Glenys Bristow, Former Minister Sherryl Garbutt, Catherine Powell and Muriel Cadd.

The dual winners in the leadership category are Muriel Cadd, the Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency and Glenys Bristow from Salvation Army Westcare. "Each of these women have worked tirelessly to improve the lives of children and young people and their efforts have been an inspiration to others," said Ms Garbutt at the awards ceremony. "Ms Cadd has endeavoured to provide greater support to Indigenous children while Ms Bristow has campaigned for organisational change to improve services for young people in need."

Making a difference with Children, Young People and Families

Three workers were recognised in the Making a difference with Children, Young People and Families category: 

Winner: Yvonne Luke, Victorian Aboriginal and Community Services Association Ltd 

Highly commended: Jenny Cummings, Berry Street Victoria.

Highly commended: Cath Powell, Juvenile Justice, Southern Metropolitan Region, Department of Human Services.

The inaugural Robin Clark Awards were held last year in recognition of the former Child and Family Welfare senior manager who died in 2001.

Profile of Recipients:

Winners: For Inspirational Leadership in the Field

Muriel Cadd

Muriel Cadd with the Minister

Ms Cadd is the Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency and Chair of the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care. Her contribution to the Aboriginal community has made significant differences to Indigenous children and young people in care. Ms Cadd's support and encouragement of her staff ensure children receive a high level of care when they are unable to live with their families. One of the key objectives of her work is to address the over-representation of Aboriginal children in the child protection and out-of-home care systems.

Glenys Bristow with the Minister

Ms Bristow is the Training and Policy Development Senior Manager at the Salvation Army Westcare. Ms Bristow has worked for 20 years in the Placement and Support Out of Home Care sector. She is known as a strong advocate for organisational change, which has resulted in better services and outcomes for young people in care. Her commitment to mentoring and skill development for sector workers is underlined by her role in establishing The Salvation Army Westcare Registered Training Organisation in 2002.

Yvonne Luke with the Minister

Ms Luke is a specialist Koori Justice Worker with the Victorian Aboriginal and Community Services Association Ltd. Her primary role is to ensure that young Koori people are supported and represented within the Juvenile Justice system and diverted where possible. Ms Luke is acknowledged and recognised for her dedication to young people. Her advocacy for education for Koori young people led to the establishment of the Koori Programs Unit at Kangan Batman TAFE in Broadmeadows, including a pre-training course for 14-year-olds. They previously only accepted 15-year-olds and above.

Jenny Cummings with the Former Minister

Ms Cummings is a Regional Director at Berry Street Victoria. She specialises in working with "high risk" young people. Jenny has been involved in many initiatives designed to improve outcomes for young people and promote a better understanding of their needs.

Cath Powell with the Minister

Ms Powell is a Team Leader within the Juvenile Justice Program at Southern Metropolitan Region. Her strong commitment to the implementation of Client Service Planning has resulted in young people, their families and professionals working together for better outco