Chifley Centre, Bidwill Campus

Funding through the NSW Government's Community Solutions and Crime Prevention Program has enabled the multi-campuses of Chifley College in Sydney's western suburbs to implement three educational initiatives focussing on supporting students (and their families) at risk from a number of factors.

The Chifley Centre at Chifley College's Bidwill Campus is one of these educational initiatives. The Chifley Centre project is the co-location of Chifley College and community service providers for students and community members, including Aboriginal and Pacific Islander communities. Local community service agencies co-located at Chifley Centre include: WAAT, Reconnect, Ted Noffs Foundation, Rosies’s Place, JPET, JobQuest, Youth Outreach, Youth and Adolescent Support, Centrelink. 

The aims of this project are to:

• provide ease of access to service providers for students;
• encourage students to maintain school connectedness; and,
• enhance of young people’s abilities to seek self help and  ultimately improve their life opportunities.

Charlie's story

Charlie* presented to the Chifley Centre in Year 7 (2003) as a very distressed and anxious student. He alleged he was harassed and bullied on a daily basis by other students in his classes.  He spent a lot of time in the Principal’s office or on suspension for his retaliation.

Initially Charlie* would access the Chifley Centre everyday at recess and lunch as he felt it was the only safe place within the school. This became problematic as the school could see that Charlie* was beginning to not be able to interact socially with his own peer group. As a result, limits of access were placed on him gradually to ease him back into the playground environment.

A gold card system was implemented to allow him access during class time, to avoid any incidents of violence in his classes. Eventually limits too were placed on this so he had to face some of the issues that were happening in the classroom and not run away from them.

Collaborative work between the Chifley Centre co-ordinator and the school counsellor resulted in a case plan where Charlie* attended an Anger Management program, the Rock and Water sessions led by the Chifley Centre co-ordinator and the Links to Learning program. 

At this stage all reports from Charlie's teachers suggest that his behaviour has settled. To date, he has not been suspended and has formed a peer group that he feels comfortable in.

He is no longer using the gold card and only visits the Chifley Centre on the odd occasion to say hello.

Charlie* is a fictional name created for use in this case study.

For further information

Contact	:	Community Solutions, Communities Division, Department of Community Services
Email	:	communitysolutions@communitybuilders.nsw.gov.au

WWW

:

http://www.communitybuilders.nsw.gov.au