Berry Street Web Docs Annual Report 2013 | Page 12

BERRY STREET ANNUAL REPORT 2013

KNOWLEDGE, ADVOCACY & LEADERSHIP

KNOWLEDGE,
ADVOCACY
& LEADERSHIP
Through our knowledge and advocacy, Berry Street
contributes to a fairer and more inclusive community
 ne of Berry Street’s core Values is Working Together.
O
We believe that a stronger and better informed sector
is good for all of us, but especially for the people who
use our services. What this commitment means on the
ground is:
JJ That we are investing more of our own resources
in building the evidence about what works
JJ All our senior staff and many others play active
leadership roles in local, regional, state and
national forums
JJ We are always looking for new ways to collaborate
with funders, colleagues and tertiary institutions

Some of the highlights included:
JJ Presenting our work in many different conferences
and forums, including Turkey, New Zealand, Norway
and Portugal
JJ Take Two being accredited as the first
Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT) in
Australia and providing regular consultation to
over 80 professionals and organisations
JJ Our ELF (Early Learning is Fun) program being
recognised for excellence by the Victorian
Multicultural Commission
JJ In partnership with our Indigenous colleagues,
hosting Brad McKenzie to share the Canadian
experience of empowerment of Aboriginal
Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) and
seconding senior staff to the Northern Territory
and local ACCOs


JJ Providing training to the rest of the sector on:
kinship care; therapeutic residential care; quality
of care; Yarning Up on Trauma; and infants and
mental health
JJ Extending our efforts to ensure every service
has a documented program logic as part of our
Organisational Evaluation Framework
JJ Policy submissions to the: Service Sector Reform
Project; Improving Diversion Responses for Young
People; Parliamentary Inquiry into Handling
of Abuse Allegations by Religious and other
organisations; and the Royal Commission
JJ Together with Family Care in the Goulburn Valley,
contracted Monash University to review models of
Income Management, which has been extended to
Shepparton
JJ Leading a campaign about the value of respite
care in supporting families and the need for it to
be expanded
JJ Commissioned or commenced evaluations on:
our Berry Big Adventure; Gippsland Wilderness
Program; Healthy Eating and Living (HEAL)
Program in Residential Care; Foster Care Camps;
Early Learning is Fun program; Connect for
Kids in Alexandra; Therapeutic Residential
Care in Shepparton; and the Family Violence
Strengthening Risk Management Pilot

We believe that a stronger and better
informed sector is good for all of us, but
especially for the people who use our
services.
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