Category: Staff Spotlight

Hi, my name is Paula Weldon. I’m a proud Wiradjuri mother of four and I grew up on Wangal lands of the Eora Nation.

I work as an Aboriginal Cultural Care Specialist in the Gurung Wellama team, based at our Sydney Metro office in Marrickville. I joined Barnardos in July 2021, starting with Yurungai Child and Family Services.

I love my job and working with Barnardos because I get to support Aboriginal children in out-of-home care to maintain their connection to Culture, Kin, and Identity through meaningful Cultural Support Plans.

Before joining Barnardos, I worked as a Child Protection Caseworker at Central Sydney CSC (now DCJ). I started my journey at the Helpline and worked with DCJ for 11 years. I also spent time at NSW Legal Aid in the Children’s Civil Law unit as a Caseworker, attending Koori Youth Court at both Central and Parramatta Children’s Courts.

As a child, I dreamed of becoming a teacher. But watching my mum and other family members work in community and help people inspired me to pursue a path supporting Aboriginal families and communities.

NAIDOC Week means a lot to me. It’s a time to embrace and celebrate Culture, family, and Country, and to come together as Mob to honour our trailblazers.

The theme this year is The Next Generation: Strength, Vision& Legacy”. This theme celebrates the 50th anniversary of NAIDOC Week and focuses on honouring the achievements of the past while looking towards the future.   I love attending local events with my kids.

One of my proudest achievements at Barnardos so far has been breaking down barriers with families and stakeholders to achieve positive, culturally safe outcomes. I feel privileged to live and breathe Culture every day with the families I work with.

I’m deeply passionate about delivering the best outcomes for our families, always grounded in cultural safety, respect and connection.

Happy NAIDOC Week!

Hi, I’m Ernesta, and I’m the Program Manager for Carer Support at Barnardos. I’ve been with the organisation for 22 years.

I feel privileged to be part of a team that has inspired me over the years in achieving the best outcomes for children, young people, carers, and families. It truly takes a whole team to support vulnerable children, and I’m grateful for the ongoing support from both my colleagues and management. While we’ve faced challenges along the way, I can wholeheartedly say that we’ve always given our best, and that’s a success in itself.

While studying for a Bachelor of Community Education at the University of Canberra, I worked in retail and volunteered as a telephone counsellor for Lifeline, which deepened my passion for working with people.

As a child, I always knew I wanted to work with others, with a particular interest in becoming a flight attendant.

One of my proudest achievements has been working with the Carer Support team. I’m surrounded by an amazing group of people who are dedicated to supporting carer families, which in turn helps support the children and young people in their care. Parenting children with trauma can be incredibly challenging, but ongoing support during difficult times can make all the difference in maintaining placements and reducing the rate of placement disruptions.

During my time at Barnardos, I aim to continue supporting my team in maintaining a healthy work-life balance. This is essential for reducing the impact of vicarious trauma, which can be common in this line of work.The work we do at Barnardos can be stressful, and it’s vital that everyone in this role looks after themselves and takes time out when needed in order to continue providing the best support for families.

Learn more about working for Barnardos Australia.

Hi everyone, I’m Helen Langtry 👋

I’m the Office Manager for Barnardos Southern NSW Children’s Family Centre covering Queanbeyan and Cooma Office as well as the Canberra Children’s Centre in ACT. I’ve been with Barnardos for six years, providing administrative and program support to our offices.

The most rewarding part of my role is seeing children and families overcome challenges and thrive, thanks to the incredible work of our team. Knowing that I’ve contributed, even in a small way makes it even more fulfilling.

Before moving into the community sector, I spent most of my career in the corporate world, specifically in container shipping. I worked for the largest shipping company in the world, based in Cape Town, South Africa. My last role was as a Customer Service Analyst, where I focused on providing insights to improve the customer experience.

I never had a clear idea of what I wanted to be growing up, but I somehow found my way into shipping and thoroughly enjoyed my time in the industry. Now, working in the community sector, I’ve found a career I truly love. It’s quite the opposite of shipping, yet in many ways, the business fundamentals are surprisingly similar.

While there have been many proud achievements (mostly admin and program related and not the most exciting!), the most enjoyable moments have been organising or supporting events for our families and children—like NAIDOC celebrations, Family Fun Days, the Queanbeyan Learning Centre Holiday Program and Christmas parties. The joy on the children’s faces during these events truly makes it all worthwhile.

Looking ahead, I’d love to contribute to initiatives that expand our reach, secure more resources and enhance staff well-being. Ultimately, my goal is to help the organisation grow and sustain its impact in the community.

I’m incredibly proud of our team and the amazing work they do to support our community. Their dedication, compassion and commitment to making a difference in the lives of children and families is truly inspiring. It’s a privilege to work alongside such a passionate group of people who create positive change every day.

Hi, I’m Sue and I started at Barnardos in 1996 as a casual admin support. I was made permanent part time in Shellharbour arcade working alongside Kerry Moore, Jan Williams, Maria Corsiglia, Sarah Beale, Patricia Sirons, Margaret Wikie. We then moved to the South Coast Children’s Centre where I have been in my current role, Manager Program Support since 2014.

The most rewarding thing about working at Barnardos is that I love supporting everyone: clients, carers, children and our staff. I see all of it, the good and the bad. But I also see when our families turn the corner, the changes, the good outcomes. It’s just the best to see the incredible outcomes that we achieved and how hard the staff work alongside families. I love seeing the changes in children as they grow and heal. As an admin worker, I get to see it all. It is all about smiling, saying “Hello, how can I help?” to everyone!

Here in the South Coast Children’s Family Centre, we are one big community, a second family, my second family. Before coming to Barnardos, I worked in aged care as a nurse’s aide on the Central Coast and then I was busy being a mum, bringing up two boys. As a child who was born in England, I always wanted to travel around the world. I went to the 2006 World Cup in Germany with three other families and that was a great experience. I always wanted to have children and a family, and I did that. I didn’t expect the rollercoaster which was when my first son was born premature at 26 weeks in 1983. Fortunately, today he is a healthy strong man, but at the time that was very challenging.

In the whole 29 years with Barnardos, I have seen different systems come and the change is good. Barnardos has always been open to change and able to adapt to be at the top and I love how innovative the organisation is. During my time with Barnardos I have made significant lifetime friendships, people come and go but some of the amazing women I have met will remain in my life forever. The support, the encouragement, the opportunity to grow are what keep me here, they are the reasons why I have been with Barnardos for 29 years.