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UnitingCare is the community service network of the Uniting Church. It is Australia’s largest non-government provider of community services, with 1,300 community service sites located across every State and Territory, providing services to more than 2 million Australians each year. UnitingCare employs 35,000 staff whose work is supported by 24,000 volunteers nationally and provides services to children, young people and families, people with disabilities, and older Australians, in urban, rural and remote communities. UnitingCare Australia the national advocacy office that works on behalf of the UnitingCare network in Canberra. The UnitingCare Australia national office is committed to advocacy, speaking with and on behalf of those who are the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, for the common good.
Susan Helyar
National Director
Susan Helyar is a social worker with experience in direct service delivery (mental health, disability and community health services), policy development (in ACT and Federal Governments) and policy advocacy. Susan has worked in high level secretariat roles, managing the work of the COAG Ministerial Council on Gambling and the ACT Government Community Inclusion Board, and has provided expert advice in mental health, early childhood, women’s health social inclusion and gambling policy fields. She has brought a strong social justice perspective to her work in each of these contexts. As Director of Services Development in UnitingCare Australia, Susan has worked with the UnitingCare network to represent the views of service users and the expertise of services providers to key decision-makers in the public sector and federal Parliament, with a focus on policy issues related to children, young people and families, older people, financially vulnerable and disadvantaged Australians, people with disabilities, unemployment and homelessness.
Joe Zabar
Director, Services Sustainability
Joe comes to the National Office with more than 18 years experience in the people and organisational performance management field. Joe has spent most of his working career in the area of international development in both the non-government and government sectors. Prior to joining UnitingCare Australia Joe was a senior executive with the international development and humanitarian response organisation, CARE Australia, where he was responsible for the organisation's people agenda as well as organisational development, performance and reform. Joe's role with UnitingCare Australia is focused on developing the Uniting Church's network of, and capacity to deliver, community services.
Lin Hatfield Dodds
Director, Network Development
Lin currently works part time with the UnitingCare Australia national office as Director, Network Development. Lin serves on the Boards of the Australia Institute and the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture. She chairs the Board of UnitingCare Kippax. Lin is immediate past President of the Australian Council of Social Service and chaired the ACT Community Inclusion Board for four years.
Lin’s background includes working as a counselling psychologist and policy advisor. She has worked in government and community settings, including in drug rehabilitation and with young people at risk, with a particular interest in trauma and abuse. She has worked as a public policy advisor on health, health ethics, and community services within federal and state governments.
Her contribution to the community was recognised by an International Women’s Day Award in 2002, and in 2003 she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study anti-poverty strategies and issues associated with the delivery of welfare services in North America and Europe.
Lin was the 2008 ACT Australian of the Year.
Judith Tokley
Director, Services Development
Judith comes from a background in journalism, public affairs and government relations. She has spent the past 15 years in advocacy roles in the non government sector, most recently with Catholic Social Services Australia, the Australian Medical Association and Catholic Health Australia. She has worked across a range of health, aged care and broader social policy areas and is looking forward to contributing to the work of UnitingCare Australia in the months ahead.
Kelly Bruce
Senior Policy Analyst
Kelly works as our Senior Policy Analyst focusing primarily on service sustainability issues including taxation and regulation reform as well as emerging industry issues. Kelly has worked in the not-for-profit sector for the past decade in the area of business support and development mainly in the area financial and HR management, most recently for the Australian Council for International Development and the Australia Institute. Prior to her career in the NFP sector Kelly worked in finance in the private sector and holds qualifications in international business and environmental management.
Nikki Roberts
EA to the National Director and Office Manager
Nikki is responsible for the smooth running of the National Director's meeting schedule and the administration involved in the running of the small but very busy National Office.
Gareth Beyers
Communications and Policy Support
Gareth is responsible for UnitingCare Australia's communications, as well as providing strategic research and policy support to the National Office. Gareth comes to the National Office with qualifications in Sociology and Theology, and experience working in both non-governmental and political organisations in Australia and abroad.
  
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