UnitingCare Australia is the national body for the Uniting Church’s community services network and an agency of the Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia.
In its Statement to the Nation in 1977 the Uniting Church pledged to seek the correction of injustices and work for the eradication of poverty.
UnitingCare Australia has a Mandate to advocate with the Church, to Government and the broader community on policies and practices which enhance the dignity of people, especially those who are most vulnerable. We work towards a community in which every person meets their full potential.
The work of UnitingCare Australia is grounded in the values and vision of the Uniting Church in Australia, the expertise in the Church’s network of service providers and the experience of those people who use those services.
UnitingCare Australia’s work focuses on relationships, positioning and influence. We maintain bipartisan working relationships across all political parties and with key politicians, public servants and thought leaders at the national level. Within this environment UnitingCare offers expertise, credibility, independence and integrity.
Click here for our key foundational documents
Our guiding principles
- All people in Australia are to be treated justly, accorded dignity and have their basic rights protected
- Australian society must be guided by a commitment to justice and full participation by its citizens across all domains of life, recognising those most disadvantaged and marginalised and the unique place of our First Peoples
- Decision-making on national policy must operate in a truly democratic way involving and empowering the greatest number of people through working cooperatively and ecumenically
- The Church, as part of society, must devote itself to worship, witness and service to give greater expression to God’s love for the world and the Church as a loving agency that cares and works together for justice
National Director: Claerwen Little
Director, Policy and Advocacy: Fay Mound
Director, Communications and Public Affairs: Anna Minson
Assembly Theologian-in-Residence: Rev Dr Ji Zhang
Senior Analyst: Kate Gainer
Senior Analyst: Corinne Dobson
Senior Analyst, Disability Royal Commission: Tenille Fricker
Project Officer, Remote Accord: Mary Quinlan
Office Manager: Christina Valdmanis
Administration Officer/Receptionist: Alannah Prout
To contact UnitingCare Australia, visit our contact page
Left to right:
Geoff Batkin - CEO, Wesley Mission Queensland
Colleen Geyer - General Secretary, Uniting Church in Australia National Assembly
Lawson Broad - CEO, Somerville Community Services
Brownyn Pike - CEO, Uniting Vic.Tas
Paul Linossier - Interim Chair, UnitingCare Australia
Claerwen Little - National Director, UnitingCare Australia
Tracey Burton - Executive Director, Uniting NSW.ACT
Amanda Hunt - CEO, UnitingCare West
Craig Barke - CEO, UnitingCare Queensland
Rev Tim Hodgson - Executive Officer, UnitingCare SA
Not pictured: Andrew Kinnersly - CEO, Uniting AgeWell
UnitingCare Australia is the national body for the UnitingCare network, one of the largest providers of community services in Australia. With over 1,600 sites, the network employs 50,000 staff and is supported by the work of over 30,000 volunteers.
Somerville Community Services | Somerville Community Services has a long and rich history of providing community based services to families, individuals and people with disability. |
Uniting NSW.ACT | Uniting provides care and support for people through all ages and stages of life, with a focus on people experiencing disadvantage and vulnerability. |
Wesley Mission Sydney | Wesley Mission serves all areas of the community from children, families and older people, to anyone struggling with financial challenges, homelessness or addiction issues. |
Parramatta Mission | Parramatta Mission provides meals, accommodation and mental health services across Greater Western Sydney, with staff and volunteers delivering more than 70 services. |
UnitingCare Queensland | UnitingCare provides aged care, disability supports, health care and crisis response in Queensland, as well as several services in the Northern Territory through ARRCS. |
Wesley Mission Qld | WMQ supports 100,000 people across Queensland every year in services such as aged care, child care, emergency support, and disability and mental health support. |
Uniting Communities | Uniting Communities offers more than 90 services to support the needs of both individuals and their community across a range of areas. |
UnitingSA | UnitingSA delivers a diverse range of programs across aged care, community, disability, mental health, child development and employment. |
UnitingCare Wesley Bowden | UCWB forms an extensive network of community support services including aged care, mental health, disability and carer support, and homeless and emergency assistance. |
Uniting Country SA | Uniting Country SA provides services to people who are experiencing difficulties such as domestic violence, disability and mental health issues, financial distress, homelessness, and family breakdown. |
Resthaven | Resthaven delivers high quality residential and community aged care services throughout metropolitan Adelaide and regional South Australia. |
Eldercare | One of the largest and most experienced aged care providers in South Australia, Eldercare has been delivering aged care services for over 30 years. |
Clayton Church Homes | Clayton Church Homes is a leading provider of residential aged care, retirement living accommodation and home care services across Adelaide. |
Helping Hand | Helping Hand is a not-for-profit organisation offering help at home, retirement living and residential care to over 7,000 older South Australians. |
Uniting AgeWell | Uniting AgeWell provides a wide range of services including residential and home care, therapy programs, and carer and social support in Victoria and Tasmania. |
Uniting Vic.Tas | Uniting works alongside people of all ages to provide services including aged care, addiction recovery support, disability support, and family and early learning services. |
Uniting WA | Uniting WA's programs span the areas of community and family services, disabilities and youth, mental health, independent living and accommodation services. |
Juniper | Juniper is leading provider of aged care facilities, retirement villages and in-home services for older people in Western Australia. |
Good Samaritan Industries | Good Sammy Enterprises is a registered provider of the NDIS and has worked with people with disability and their families for over 60 years. |
The Uniting Church in Australia was formed on June 22, 1977, as a union of three churches: the Congregational Union of Australia, the Methodist Church of Australasia and the Presbyterian Church of Australia. It is the third largest Christian denomination in Australia and the first church to be created in and of Australia.
The Uniting Church is organised not by a hierarchy, but by a series of inter-related councils – congregations, presbyteries, synods, and the national Assembly. Decisions are usually made by consensus. Each council has its distinct tasks, and each council recognises the limit of its responsibilities in relation to other councils.
Visit the Uniting Church in Australia Assembly's website to learn more.
Other agencies of the Assembly: