Anglicare NSW South, West and ACT, has had its most successful national awards winning in both the Partnership and Innovation categories.

Our “Pens Against Poverty” schools writing competition won the National Award for Innovation. The award was presented by the Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia, Archbishop Phillip Freier, to Hannah MacQuiggin who coordinated the program on behalf of Anglicare until earlier this year. The Pens Against Poverty competition began in 2015 as a way of engaging school teachers and students with the issues of poverty whilst also improving literacy and the annual awards ceremony is now is the official closing event for Anti-Poverty Week in Canberra during October. As you will know, Hannah left Anglicare earlier this year to work for Act for Peace in Sydney. She came to the Annual Conference in Sydney to collect this award.

Meanwhile, the Wanggaay Koori Out of Home Care service won the award in the Partnership category. The award was accepted by Tangerene Ingram and Anglicare Riverina Regional Manager Brad Addison. This service has been developed in partnership with the Riverina Koori Medical and Dental Corporation (Rivmed). Anglicare has provide mentoring, capacity building and quality assurance to Rivmed and in return receive cultural support, advice, supervision and mentoring. The partnership has really enhanced child protection and safety matters for aboriginal children in the area.