Every child has the right to a safe home, a place where they can grow safely and fulfil their potential.
As a children’s social care charity, Barnardos Australia firmly believes in this and is fully committed to supporting Australia’s most vulnerable children and their families. Its programs aim to strengthen families and keep children safe at home by combating domestic and family violence, drug and alcohol abuse, mental health, poverty and homelessness. When this is not possible, it also provides safe homes for children through foster care, kinship care and open adoption.
“We support vulnerable children to recover, thrive and reach their brightest future,” said CEO Deirdre Cheers. “Barnardos never gives up; we speak up, aim higher, stand with children and do what’s right for children.”
Learn more about Ms Cheers and what she stands for through our Q&A session with her.
What inspired you to pursue a career in the social sector?
I fully intended to be a pharmacist! At the last moment before enrolling in university, I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to study social work, and I have never regretted it. At the University of Sydney, as part of my social work degree, I majored in both psychology and child development, becoming deeply interested in child and parental rights and pursuing honours research in this area. The inherent dependency in childhood creates power differentials that can only be addressed by listening to children.
What is the most fulfilling part of your work?
Building systems that strengthen relationships and create stability for children throughout their childhood has been the most fulfilling part of my 40+ years’ career. Initially, as a frontline social worker and manager, and over the past 20 years as a CEO, efforts to create social policy aimed at ensuring that children spend as little time as possible away from family and in ‘care’ systems have been frustratingly slow but enormously fulfilling within Barnardos Australia, especially over the past 10 years.
What is the most impactful project you’ve worked on so far?
There are two! First is my involvement in collaborative research with esteemed professors Dr Elizabeth Fernandez (UNSW) and Dr Harriet Ward (Oxford, UK), working on understanding the most effective ways to restore children from care and back to their own families within child-focused time frames and on ways to establish systems ensuring that social workers listen to children to facilitate and maximise their developmental needs. Second is establishing and leading a multidisciplinary child-focused outreach team in an inner city, racially fractured urban area, following the contentious death of a child, an initiative directly leading to increased community safety for children.
What are the biggest developments you’ve seen in the social sector so far?
Leadership in the social sector today requires vision and commitment to cause, combined with physical strength, passion and strong business acumen. In my experience, the social sector is not for the faint-hearted! In the past, the desire to ‘do good’ was common (and is still necessary), but the biggest developments I have seen in recent times are the absolute need to have both personal credibility and agile strategic acumen to achieve social sector success.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing our sector nowadays?
At a national level, our biggest challenge – as a social sector, as Australians, as a nation and at all levels of government – is undoubtedly how to deliver on national Close the Gap objectives. While many social sector organisations are achieving great results in specific areas, our failure as a sector to successfully address the systemic disadvantages faced by Aboriginal-controlled organisations remains the most challenging issue. Listening to the voices of Aboriginal colleagues, becoming actively anti-racist, and actively working together towards equalising financial support for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal social sector organisations is the way forward.
What emerging technology or trends do you believe will shape the sector’s future?
The use of AI across the social sector is already shaping the future. Both smaller and larger social sector organisations are already underway in varying degrees of AI technology implementation, while others are adopting a ‘wait and see’ approach. AI technology can streamline processes, particularly in administrative processes and functions. The need to assess optimisation as well as risks is critical for the social sector at the present time.
What advice would you give aspiring leaders in this sector?
My rule of three:
- Do something you are passionate about. For me, that’s child rights and ensuring that children impacted by vulnerability have access to safe, stable and healthy childhoods with equal access to education and good care.
- Surround yourself with skilled people who also care deeply about your passion. Doing this means that your job will be easier and you will always enjoy coming to work!
- Know your personal as well as your professional abilities and capabilities. Rest when you need to, not just when you can.
Interested in being a featured leader? Please submit your interest here.
Geraldine is currently the Content Producer for Third Sector, an Akolade channel. Throughout her career, she has written for various industries and international audiences. Her love for writing extends beyond the corporate world, as she also works as a volunteer writer at her local church. Aside from writing, she is also fond of joining fun runs and watching musicals.
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