The legacy of Peter’s work at ANGLICARE has provided clarity and future direction for three key areas:

Who we are

For a long time ANGLICARE has explored what it means to be Christian in terms of leadership and service.

During the last six years under Peter’s leadership this understanding has grown. Today, ANGLICARE is, as an organisation, more explicitly Christian in terms of employment, leadership and serving people in need. The gospel of Jesus Christ both motivates and equips us to care for others. The death of Christ on the cross, and His resurrection from the dead, addresses our separation from God and each other and at the same time restores us to Him and each other. This becomes the basis for the work we do – gracious caring love. It is a love which does not expect a return and takes no account of the barriers that divide us from each other – racial, socio-economic or cultural.

This understanding has become clearer and more embedded in the work we do. More Christian material in our reception areas and offices, across a number of ANGLICARE sites, as well as increased availability of Christian training and courses, position papers on theology and care, and the employment of active Christians in leadership roles have all provided a clear pathway for the present and the future in terms of our Christian identity.

This internal transformation has been enhanced by the growth of our Christian voice in advocacy – as we increase both government and community understanding of the complexity of life for those who are marginalised, deprived and socially excluded. It has meant driving an advocacy agenda with government which, through submissions, research reports, one-on-one meetings and media, focuses on core issues for people who access our services. Over time this is giving ANGLICARE a voice at the policy table – at both Federal and State levels. We are becoming a respected and informed Christian voice. Much of this reflects the vision of Peter Kell who, as CEO, resourced the organisation for research and advocacy and who has, himself, been such a staunch and intelligent advocate for those who often have no voice.

What we want to achieve

For many years ANGLICARE has worked hard to make a difference in the lives of people who seek our services. However, it was not until the last five or six years that we began to articulate and measure what it is we are trying to achieve. Under Peter’s direction we have focused on a series of outcomes which not only meet both the presenting and underlying need of people but which see greater interaction with community, enriched and satisfying relationships, and increased trust and hope – a hope that gives people both a sense of optimism about the future and eternal assurance. This focus on outcomes for clients has been an exciting new development.

At the same time ANGLICARE has not compromised on the quality of its care or service delivery. This has been evidenced by the number of very successful accreditations across both Chesalon and Community Care. It has also been supported by ongoing continuous improvement and innovation in such areas as complex case management and capacity building. In some ways it has even changed how we do service delivery. Emergency Relief for example has changed its focus from simply handing out food parcels to helping people live sustainably.

How we do our work

Parish partnerships are a cornerstone for ANGLICARE’s future.

In 2004, we conducted an audit of our relationship with parishes and interviewed around 130 rectors across Sydney and the Illawarra. What we found was that parishes felt disconnected from ANGLICARE, they wanted our support but felt that opportunities were not being realised. The relationship was seen as one way – with ANGLICARE seeking donor support from parishes and parishes not understanding the nature of our Christian commitment to the work we were doing.

The response by ANGLICARE was immediate – an intentional and targeted strategy to build mutually beneficial partnerships with parishes – through information sharing, development of resources and training. This latter has led to the development of training packages and sessions with parishes on how to support people in the community when they need help, and those who may be homeless or who are carers. There are a number of additional workshops also in development for a future roll-out over the next two years.

The result to date has been thriving partnerships including co-located services (ANGLICARE Shops, Chesalon and Community Care), missional partnerships, food drives, parish link people, training and deputations, and parish volunteers.