Special visit to Tenterfield

The Benevolent Society’s executive leadership team visited Tenterfield last week to meet with local staff and community members to understand first-hand the strengths and challenges of local communities.
Annette Michaux, general manager, Social Policy and Research said, “The Benevolent Society has expanded significantly over the past few years, and is now supporting communities across rural and regional NSW, with five offices in the New England area alone.
“The Benevolent Society’s key priority in regional NSW is to link our programs with other community services so that local families do not have to deal with multiple agencies, duplicate assessments and unnecessary paperwork to get the support they need.
“We recognise that we can’t take a one-size-fits-all approach when working with regional communities, and we will continue working with local communities to deliver support services that are based on research and best practice.
“Visiting the region was a wonderful opportunity to get to know our staff and understand first-hand some of the opportunities and challenges of working outside the large cities.”
The Benevolent Society’s Tenterfield office runs the Brighter Futures program, an early intervention program supporting families who have children aged zero to eight years and connecting them with the services they need. The Benevolent Society has been delivering the Brighter Futures program in Tenterfield since July, 2007.
The Benevolent Society in New England:
The Benevolent Society has offices in Armidale, Inverell, Moree, Tamworth and Tenterfield.
Currently there are 27 staff delivering Brighter Futures and the Personal Helpers and Mentors program (PhaMs) across the region.
The Brighter Futures program is currently working with 43 families and 120 children.
During the past financial year, the PHaMs program worked with 74 people.