BAPTIST CARE (SA)

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:40): I rise today to contribute to Matters of Interest regarding Baptist Care in South Australia. Early South Australian Baptists founded the West End Baptist Mission in 1913 to provide a sanctuary for homeless people from the harsh realities of life in the streets. West End Baptist Mission became known as Westcare for many years, and it is now known as Baptist Care South Australia. Since those early days the work of Baptist Care has quietly expanded its range of services to assist those in need with problems in our community.

I will not have time to mention all the services provided by Baptist Care here today but I would like to highlight some. Amongst its services are those for Aboriginal people in need. There is an Aboriginal men's drug intervention program in the city and an Aboriginal parenting program which assists families that might be vulnerable to breaking up or experiencing more than normal stresses. The program assists families to improve family functions and to keep children safe.

There is also a program that assists Aboriginal women elders in meeting the needs of independent living at home. Baptist Care also runs a short-term centre for the homeless—homeless Aboriginals in particular—so that a more permanent residence can be found during their transition there. One important service provided to the community is emergency care for children and youth identified by Families SA as being at risk.

The out-of-home care provided to the children by staff is one underpinned by best practices to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the children. Baptist Care extensively trains its staff to understand the trauma that these vulnerable children experience to ensure the best outcomes for them. Over the past three years Baptist Care's employment services have assisted more than 4,300 people into jobs and full-time education, enabling them to find self-confidence, independence and social inclusion.

Baptist Care works with people referred to them by Centrelink from all backgrounds and cultures. A recent initiative is to create hubs to link its employment services and youth services in high schools to achieve better outcomes for young people. There are also programs based in Port Lincoln and the Riverland for psychological services and accommodation for those with mental illness—much needed.

Amongst Baptist Care's work with people with mental illness was the establishment of peer work training which enables people with personal experience of mental health issues to gain employment in the field of mental health itself. Yet another program assists asylum seekers and former refugees to settle into Adelaide through volunteers who provide support, advice and friendship. The practical help offered includes subsidised lessons to obtain a driving licence so they can gain access to education and employment, amongst many, many other things.

Another dimension of the Baptist Care work is a campsite at Mylor which runs youth adventure camps to build purpose and confidence through outdoor activities. Camps emphasise challenges to enable youth to discover aspects of their own personality and to develop an attitude of being a team player and of assisting others. One particular exercise involves the so-called high ropes course where teams of four participants take turns to climb up solid, hardwood poles and then cross gaps of some 10 metres spanned by an array of wires, ropes, stirrups and ladders to a pole on the other side. Every climber is strapped into a harness for safety, of course.

Another service that sprang from camping more recently was the Tumbelin Adventure Service. This service helps young people at risk who may have come into contact with the law. The program has been proven to reduce reoffending rates amongst young people. Baptist Care also provides chaplaincy services to residents in aged care, hospitals and community health centres, and recently funded a part-time prison chaplain. Chaplains and pastoral care workers are available to respond to emotional and spiritual needs of all clients who seek this assistance. The Baptist Care website speaks of a vision to bring transformation based on client-centred care.

My own view is that it is important to recognise the valuable work done by non-profit organisations such as Baptist Care, many of which are church organisations, of course. They are providing work for some 600 South Australians (in the case of Baptist Care) and helping often the most vulnerable and at risk in our state.

Naturally, much of this vital work would not be possible without financial donations from the community and the work of volunteers to benefit those in our community who are disadvantaged or who have major issues in their lives. Of course, it is not just Baptist Care that does this great deal of work in our community. There are so many other organisations, but this is one which has had a long and proud history in South Australia and rarely, I think, gets the credit it deserves, hence my choosing to highlight them today.