Скачать или смотреть Challenge Community Services celebrates 60 years of caring

Today, Challenge Community Services stands as one of the largest community support organisations in NSW, providing assistance to over 2500 people from Albury to Lismore, Sydney, Dubbo, Tamworth and beyond.

But many of us may not know how and why the Challenge story began. In Tamworth during the 1950s there were no local services for people living with a disability. A small group of parents, concerned for their children’s future, called a meeting at the Town Hall on the 25th of August 1958. As a result, the Tamworth and District Handicapped Children’s Association was formed.

Inspired by a local girl who had recently learnt to read with help from her grandmother, the Association’ s first order of business was to open a school dedicated to helping children with a disability. A month later, on the 22nd of September 1958, the Tamworth and District Handicapped Children’s School was officially opened.

As enrolments at the school increased and students completed their schooling, the Association decided to start providing support for life after school. Challenge opened supported accommodation facilities and began to provide employment opportunities to adults with a disability. Many of the services were unique at the time, however the results quickly spoke for themselves. Local people living with a disability were experiencing support and achievement that hadn’t seemed possible before.

From this small but determined group of parents opening a local school that catered to their children’s individual needs, Challenge Community Services has grown to the wide-ranging service organisation it is today.

In 2018, Challenge Disability Services provides support to people living with a disability not just in Tamworth but throughout NSW. With the support of our dedicated staff, our clients are able to build their living skills, gain job search assistance, and participate in community and centre based activities.

Challenge Business Services provides supported employment to over 80 people living with a disability throughout NSW. These businesses also provide vital services to their community and the individuals who work there are to be commended for their passion and drive to achieve their goals.

But we are also now so much more than just a disability service provider. Challenge Foster Care was opened in 2012 to address the shortage of accommodation for the 20,000 children in NSW who require crisis, short term and permanent care. Today, there are over 400 Challenge carer households fulfilling our mission to help children in need find the safe and loving home they deserve and need to thrive.

To keep up with the ever-changing requirements of our clients, carers and children, Challenge identified the need to provide psychological and behavioural support to enable individuals and their families to understand their emotions and behaviours. In 2016, Challenge Therapeutic Services was opened and has grown to service several locations throughout NSW.

Challenge Community Services believes the entire community benefits and is strengthened by the inclusion of people living with a disability. We believe in a community where everyone belongs and has the opportunity to grow and contribute.

We are here because of the hard work of those first parents who formed the Tamworth and District Handicapped Association to create a better future for their children.

Today, we continue that tradition through the dedication of Challenge’s staff, our carers and the families who share the same vision. 2018 may mark 60 years of history for Challenge Community Services, but now we look to the future.

And that future is bright.