A new partnership between the Department for Child Protection (DCP) and the Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing (ORSR) to better support children and young people in care to lead healthy, active lives is kicking goals.

The partnership is already proving highly successful, with professional sporting organisations working hand-in-hand with government to provide new opportunities.

Reaping huge benefits is the formalisation of partnerships with sport and recreation organisations to increase opportunities for children and young people and their carers to attend sporting events.

The Adelaide Football Club (AFC) and the Port Adelaide Football Club (PAFC) have already jumped on board, providing hundreds of tickets to games this season for children and young people in care.

Over the past two years, the Crows have provided more than 800 tickets to home matches through their Crows Care Program.

Netball SA also provided tickets for children in care to attend Thunderbirds matches during their grand final-winning Super Netball campaign.

AFC and DCP recently facilitated a consultation event and an AFL ‘come and try’ program for caregivers and children involved in foster and kinship care.

This initiative collected feedback to help design a tailored sporting program for children in family-based care.

PAFC’s community arm, Power Community Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with DCP to engage and support children in care through clinics, carnivals, school programs, events and ticketing.

Netball SA is providing places in its highly popular Hospital Research Foundation Group Adelaide Thunderbirds’ School Holiday Clinics.

Developed in consultation with staff, carers, representatives of sporting clubs and associations along with community organisations, the partnership has also piloted trauma training for State Sporting Organisations (SSOs) with a view to roll this training out across clubs.

SSOs - SACA, SANFL, Netball SA and Basketball SA - and a representative from the Adelaide Football Club have been consulted about the Trauma Informed Training package that will be rolled out to help educate the sporting sector about how to identify and support children with trauma.

The training focuses on increasing understanding of childhood trauma, trauma related behaviour and inclusive environments for children in care with materials being developed for clubs, coaches, volunteers and administration staff, associations and local government.

The partnership also strives to improve the access of children and young people to sport by developing an innovative approach to better distribute sports voucher funding and by establishing a sports equipment donation scheme for children in care.

Attributable to Katrine Hildyard

Children and young people engaged with the child protection and family support system deserve the best opportunities to be safe, loved and nurtured and also participate in community life with the support they need to do so.

Sport is powerful with clubs at the heart of communities across our state. Inclusive sporting clubs can empower, support and help transform the lives of children and their families, and particularly those facing some pretty tough times.

I have felt the difference that can happen in your life when the community family that is so often created through sporting clubs wrap around you and make you know that you belong.

Sport can build resilience, self-confidence, improve mental, physical and emotional wellbeing and help young people lead healthy, active lives. Sporting clubs often help young people know they are never alone, that there are people who care about them.

The Adelaide Crows, Port Adelaide Football Club and Netball SA have been instrumental in developing this important partnership. I wholeheartedly thank them for their support.

Attributable to Jake Battifuoco, General Manager, Power Community Limited

Power Community Ltd have had a long-standing relationship with DCP supporting young people in care through our community programs.

We are excited to strengthen our partnership recognising sport is a powerful tool to develop lifelong skills and that young people in care should be afforded the same opportunities as others to thrive.

Attributable to Tim Silvers, CEO, Adelaide Football Club

We are always looking for ways in which we can use the power of sport to make a positive impact in our community.

It’s a key part of what we stand for as a Club.

In this instance, we want to ensure children in care have regular opportunities to benefit from the uplifting experiences that footy can provide.

Attributable to Bronwyn Klei, CEO, Netball SA

We’re incredibly proud to work with the Department for Child Protection and the Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing on The Plan of Action project.

We were pleased to host a number of children in care at our School Holiday Clinics in 2024, introducing them to the many benefits our sport can add to a child’s life.

You can’t be what you can’t see, so bringing these children closer to the best netballers in the world at our Adelaide Thunderbirds games was an opportunity to show them what’s possible.

Netball is a place where everyone belongs, and we’re committed to ensuring it continues to be a sport for all.