The Neighbourhood Centre Board enables the Centre to deliver its services to Coopers Plains and the surrounding suburbs. A big part of our job is ensuring that our Centre is collaborating with stakeholders who help us to deliver good services to a diverse range of clients.
State and Federal governments provide much of our funding. Our clients also pay a fee for the services they receive and we run a Thrift Shop which boosts our income stream. The Board ensures all of its income delivers a public benefit. We regularly report to Government how we spend the public money delivering the services we are contracted to provide.
The Board plans for the long term sustainability of our Centre. We are always on the lookout for people who can partner with us to help keep our great services flowing to our clients. Sometimes clubs and trusts financially support our charitable purposes. Those funds can help us trial new programmes or purchase new equipment for our Centre.
Our Board is diligent about complying with all relevant legislation and we are proud to govern a Centre that is clean and safe and continuously improving the services we deliver to our Coopers Plains residents and the surrounding district.
Board Members
Andrew Demack (Chairperson)
TBA (Vice-Chairperson)
Heather Dansie (Secretary)
Jamie Carnarvon (Treasurer)
Debra Tedman (Minister)
Robyn Solomon (Board Member)
Pam Weymouth (Board Member)
Ray Tedman (Board Member)
Myles Waugh (Board Member)
Statement of Commitment to Children and Child Safety
At St David’s Neighbourhood Centre, we are committed to creating welcoming, inclusive and child-safe environments where every child is respected, valued, heard and supported to thrive.
We believe that every child has the right to feel safe, to be treated with dignity and respect, and to participate in environments where their wellbeing, rights, identity and individual needs are recognised and supported.
Children’s Voices Matter
We are committed to listening to children and recognising that children have the right to express their views, feelings and ideas. We respect children’s agency and encourage them to participate in decisions and conversations that affect them in ways that are appropriate to their age, development and circumstances.
We believe children should feel confident that their voice will be heard and that adults will take their concerns seriously.
Creating Safe and Inclusive Spaces
We are committed to creating environments where children are safe from abuse, neglect, violence, discrimination, and harm. This includes promoting physical, emotional, psychological, cultural and online safety.
We recognise that every child is unique and that children and families may have different experiences, identities, cultures, abilities, strengths, and needs. We are committed to creating inclusive environments where diversity is respected and every child and family feels welcome, accepted, and able to participate.
Cultural Safety and Respect
St David’s Neighbourhood Centre is committed to creating culturally safe environments where children’s cultures, identities, languages, histories and connections are respected and valued.
We acknowledge the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children being supported to maintain connection to culture, family, community and Country. We are committed to listening, learning and working respectfully with children, families, and communities to promote cultural safety and belonging.
Safe and Respectful Relationships
Children’s safety is strengthened through positive, trusting and respectful relationships. We expect all staff, volunteers and community members who engage with children through St David’s Neighbourhood Centre to model respectful behaviour, maintain appropriate boundaries and act in the best interests of children.
We are committed to ensuring that staff and volunteers understand their responsibilities for child safety and have the knowledge, skills and support required to respond appropriately to concerns about a child’s wellbeing or safety.
Children and Families as Partners
We recognise that parents, carers and families play an important role in children’s safety, wellbeing and development. We are committed to building respectful and open partnerships with families and supporting families to contribute to creating safe and connected communities for children.
We encourage feedback, questions and concerns and are committed to responding to these in a respectful, timely and appropriate way.
Speaking Up and Responding to Concerns
We want children, families, staff and volunteers to feel safe to speak up when something does not feel right.
St David’s Neighbourhood Centre is committed to taking all concerns about the safety and wellbeing of children seriously. We will respond to concerns appropriately, follow our child protection and reporting responsibilities, and take action to promote the safety and wellbeing of children.
We recognise that maintaining child safety is an ongoing responsibility. We are committed to regularly reflecting on our practice, listening to children and families, learning from feedback and continuously strengthening our child-safe culture.
Our Commitment
At St David’s Neighbourhood Centre, child safety is everyone’s responsibility.
We are committed to creating a community where children:
Feel safe.
Feel heard.
Feel respected.
Feel included.
Feel connected.
Feel valued.
And know that the adults around them care about their safety and wellbeing. We will continue to work together to ensure that every child who participates in our programs and activities is welcomed into a safe, supportive and respectful community.