On Thursday, 10 October, over 500 attendees gathered in Melbourne for our annual ResiROCKS event, a day dedicated to celebrating the hard work and commitment of residential care workers across Victoria.
A Celebration of Education and Empowerment
This year’s theme, Nurturing the Spark for Education, emphasised education’s decisive role in transforming young people’s lives in residential care. With representatives from 21 agencies and nearly 20% of Victoria’s residential care workforce present, the event was an exciting opportunity to connect, collaborate, and share best practices for empowering children through learning.
Powerful Addresses
We were delighted to have The Hon. Lizzie Blandthorn, Minister for Children, address the event alongside David Atkinson, Executive Director, Department of Families, Fairness, and Housing (DFFH), Danny O’Kelly, Deputy Secretary of Community Operations and Practice Leadership, and Natalie Tillinger, the Statewide Principal Practitioner. The Keynote address was delivered by Isaiah Dawe, Founder, ID. Know Yourself, sharing his powerful story of resilience and leadership as an advocate for Indigenous children in care.
The insightful discussion led by Liana Buchanan, Ruby Sait, and Amelia Hunt from the Commission for Children and Young People reinforced the critical need for educational support for children in care, as outlined in the Let Us Learn report.
Celebrating Sector Achievements
The Centre’s CEO, Deb Tsorbaris, proudly shared the Centre’s achievements over the past year, including expanding therapeutic supports and delivering the Residential Care Learning and Development Strategy (RCLDS). Through RCLDS, we provided training to over 900 carers, launched a suite of new programs, and established the Therapeutic Residential Care Collective to support this critical workforce.
Leadership Panel Discussion
One of the event’s key exchanges was the panel session on how organisations are sparking young people’s passion for learning. Panellists included:
- Marianne Watson, Director of Client Services, Anglicare
- Annette Jackson, Executive Director, Statewide Services at Berry Street
- David Atkinson, Executive Director, DFFH
- Robyn Miller, CEO, MacKillop Family Services
- Alex Christian, Executive Manager Statewide Residential Services, VACCA
The discussion explored how the panellist’s organisations support life skills, emotional resilience, and educational success for children in residential care. Strategies ranged from integrating therapeutic support in homes to collaborating with educational institutions and mentoring programs.
Agency Presentations
Hurstbridge Farm was the original Therapeutic residential care model, established in 2007. The home is on 10 acres in Hurstbridge, with a school room on site and all staff offices, including management, on-site at all times. This model was instrumental in defining what therapeutic residential care should look like and played a huge role in developing the therapeutic care model in place today.
Lighthouse Foundation’s Therapeutic Program supports young parents in healing from trauma, building healthier attachments with their babies, and keeping families connected.
LOOKOUT: The Department of Education’s Education Support Centres are designed to boost the capability of out-of-home care services to improve educational outcomes for children and young people living in out-of-home care. Support for carers to meet their roles and responsibilities under the partnering Agreement between DET and DFFH to ensure children in OoHC are properly supported with consideration of their specific needs and areas of consideration.
Residential Care Awards
The RCLDS Residential Care Awards were presented by Hon. Lizzie Blandthorn, Minister for Children, and the Centre’s CEO, Deb Tsorbaris.
This year’s Awards attracted a record number of nominations across seven categories, with two judge’s awards presented for Distinguished Service and Crafting a Difference.
The Award winner’s remarkable achievements showcase an unwavering dedication and innovative approaches to creating an environment of healing and growth.
Congratulations to all the nominees, finalists and the incredible 2024 RCLDS Residential Care Awards winners.
Distinguished Service in Out-of-Home Care Award – Adela Holmes
Adela Holmes has dedicated over 50 years to child welfare, pioneering therapeutic care programs and advocating for trauma-informed practices that have profoundly impacted the lives of children and staff.
Residential Care Team Award – Dennis Street KEYS Program, MacKillop Family Services
This multidisciplinary team has significantly improved young people’s social and emotional wellbeing through collaborative care. Their innovative approaches have led to tangible improvements, such as increased school attendance and stronger family relationships.
Honourable Mention: Morgan House Team, MacKillop Family Services.
Honourable Mention: Hurstbridge Farm, DFFH.
Hall of Fame (formerly Lifetime Achievement Award) – Clive Reid, Hurstbridge Farm, Department of Fairness Families and Housing
Clive Reid has dedicated 14 years to Hurstbridge Farm, providing exceptional leadership and advocacy for young people, which has led to significant positive outcomes, including improved school engagement and successful family reunifications.
Honourable Mention: Kylie Jones, Anglicare.
Leadership Award – Frances Head, Berry Street
Frances has demonstrated remarkable leadership by successfully implementing the Teaching-Family Model across multiple homes. Her ability to foster collaboration and empower others has profoundly influenced organisational culture.
Honourable Mention: Lauren Rodgers, MacKillop Family Services.
Residential Carer Award – Nicole East, Berry Street
Nicole has significantly improved the lives of young people through her innovative approaches, including creating educational resources about intellectual disabilities. Her dedication to fostering a supportive environment and personalised care has profoundly impacted the children in her home.
Honourable Mention: Kylie Watson, Anglicare.
Education Award – Zach Mason, Junction Support Services
Zach Mason has spent eight years fostering educational engagement for young people in residential care through innovative approaches and personalised support, significantly enhancing their educational outcomes.
Honourable Mention: Alex Bonacci, Anglicare Victoria.
First Nations Cultural Engagement Award – Matthew Street Team, MacKillop Family Services
The Matthew Street Team has shown commitment to culturally appropriate care for First Nations young people, integrating cultural practices and building strong connections with Aboriginal organisations to enhance the young people’s sense of identity and belonging.
Honourable Mention: MDAS Team.
RCLDS Learning Award, Laura Kennedy – Berry Street
Laura exemplifies a commitment to ongoing learning, having completed multiple key qualifications, including a Diploma of Community Services and various training programs. Her dedication to sharing knowledge and fostering a culture of critical thinking makes her a vital asset to her organisation.
Honourable Mention: Jessica Collett, Cafs.
Crafting a Difference Award (Special Judges’ Award) – Bradley Lowe, Berry Street
Bradley has transformed living spaces and built a sense of belonging through his DIY projects and life skills mentoring. His holistic approach has created a nurturing atmosphere, greatly enhancing the quality of life for the young people in his care.
RCLDS Further Education Scholarship – David Tyrrell, MacKillop Family Services
David has been working in residential care for about three years, first as a residential care worker with Uniting and more recently with MacKillop Family Services, starting as a youth worker and recently moving into the role of Targeted Care Package Case Manager after several months of secondments and learning different roles. David began his Bachelor of Social Work earlier this year. This scholarship will help support David with fees, books and other materials.
Learn more about the awards and the Residential Care Learning and Development Strategy (RCLDS).
Market Stalls
We thank the agencies and programs that showcased their market stalls at ResiROCKS this year for sharing valuable insights on education models and services supporting children and young people in out-of-home care.
Anglicare Victoria – the TEACHaR Program provides tailored education support.
Berry Street – the CIRC program focuses on education advocacy and re-engagement for kids in residential care
Concern Australia – Handbrake Turn is a 5-week pre-accredited automotive work skills training program.
CREATE Foundation – offering empowerment programs, Speak Up training and Youth Advisory Groups.
Hester Hornbrook Academy – a special assistance school engaging 15- to 25-year-olds with their HOP Model.
LOOKOUT – supporting children and young people access education.
MacKillop Family Services – Paw Pals is a trauma-informed animal-assisted education for 5 to 21-year-olds.
Raising Expectations – the Centre’s flagship program, Raising Expectations, supports care-experienced young people aged 15+ to aspire to access and achieve in their education from high school to TAFE or University. They provide free peer mentoring programs pairing young people with a care-experienced mentor who is currently a student or a recent TAFE or university graduate. Deakin University, Federation University, Monash University, and Swinburne University partner with the Centre’s Raising Expectation Program, providing on-campus support for students with care experience.
Looking Ahead
ResiROCKS 2024 was an inspiring reminder of the power of connection, collaboration, and innovation in supporting children in residential care. The sector’s dedicated workforce continues to nurture hope, healing, and opportunity for our community’s most vulnerable members.
We look forward to continuing this journey together and celebrating more achievements at future events!
