This award recognises an individual, team, or group at any level of leadership who inspires others to act wisely and care deeply about achieving the best outcomes for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children, young people and their families. They may mentor, support, encourage or educate others. Nominees are visionary and innovative in their approach to practice, policy or research and education.

This award is offered to an individual, team, or group within the child and family service sector, who has made an exceptional contribution to directly improve the lives of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children, young people and families in Victoria. This can be in partnership or collaboration with government and non-government agencies.

This award recognises an individual, team or group that has demonstrated success improving educational outcomes for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children and young people in child protection. This may include mentoring or supporting children in care to engage with and/or make progress within education settings, developing education resources, implementing an innovative approach to bringing the education and child protection systems together, supporting participation in early years and pre-school activities or facilitating access to mainstream education, vocational education and training (VET), job training or skill building programs.

This award recognises an individual, team or group who has made a significant difference to the life of a child or children outside of the standard approaches to out-of-home care. This carer has made significant life changes to provide an innovative approach to care to ensure the best possible outcomes for the child or children.

This award recognises past and present accredited foster or kinship carers who have made a significant contribution to the lives of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children and young people where child protection has been involved through the provision of formal foster care in Victoria.

This award gives Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children and young people aged 8 - 25 years the opportunity to nominate someone such as a carer, support worker or agency who has made a positive difference to their lives, particularly through assisting them to have a voice within the out-of-home care system.

This award is managed by the CREATE Foundation and will be judged by a committee of children and young people.

More information

www.create.org.au/vic

Established in 2008 in partnership with the Principal Commissioner for Children and Young People, this award recognises someone who has made a significant contribution to enhancing the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable Victorian children; through demonstrating the highest level of sustained personal commitment to meaningfully connecting children to their local community.

This award was established in partnership with the Victorian Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People, in memory of Aunty Walda Blow - a proud Yorta Yorta & Wemba Wemba elder who lived her life in pursuit of equality.

Amongst her many contributions over 40 years of service to the Victorian Aboriginal community, Aunty Walda was an early founder of the Dandenong and District Aboriginal Cooperative; established the Women’s Interfaith Network and for 21 years managed the Margaret Tucker Hostel which provided supported accommodation for young Aboriginal girls and their children aged 15 to 18 years.

In her name, this Award recognises contributions of an Aboriginal person in Victoria to the safety and wellbeing of Aboriginal children and young people.

This award recognises an individual, team or group from the Department of Health & Human Services that models practice excellence, demonstrates innovation, and encourages and supports others to achieve enhanced client outcomes.

The Chief Practitioner’s award recognises an individual, team or group working in the Department of Health and Human Services child protection program that promotes best practice, commitment and leadership. This award is aimed exclusively at the department’s child protection practitioners.

The NAPCAN Play your part award is presented at the Victorian Protecting Children Awards by a NAPCAN representative for Inspiring Prevention Initiatives.

Nominations for this award have now closed.

The award process is managed separately through NAPCAN and further information can be found at www.napcan.org.au.

Read the Nomination guide - 2017 Victorian Protecting Children Awards  (Word 137KB) , including the new terms and conditions, and review the submission requirements of entry for the awards.

Determine who to nominate – an individual or team.

Discuss the nomination with the nominee’s supervisor or equivalent. You are required to get their endorsement for all nominations.

Register your details on the Victorian Protecting Children Awards online nomination portal.

Note: All nominations must be submitted through the online system. To discuss this further, please contact the awards secretariat by telephone on 03 9096 2305 or email awards@dhhs.vic.gov.au.

Log in to the Victorian Protecting Children Awards online nomination portal and prepare the nomination form by typing directly into the electronic form - making sure you keep within the total 900 word count.

Complete your online nomination(s) by 5.00 pm, Monday 29 May 2017 using the Victorian Protecting Children Awards online nomination portal.

Shortlisted nominees will be contacted in mid-June and asked to accept their nomination.

Each individual nominee will be required to submit a National Police Check Consent Form. A copy of the National Police Check Consent Form can be downloaded at the bottom of this page. Teams are not required to complete national police checks.