Dylan Strudwick has been supporting a cause very close to his heart.

The 31-year-old, who spent about a decade in foster, kinship and residential care, had long considered ways to give back to the sector that helped keep him safe as a youngster.

“It feels like I’m on the way to helping the people who have helped me in the past,” he recently said of a volunteer role with the Department for Child Protection.

When Dylan was finishing school, he considered two career paths – seeking employment as a youth worker, or finding a job “playing with big boys’ toys and making a lot of mess”.

The second option led him to civil construction work, trenching, digging up roads and laying pipes, but his life took a drastic about-face when he was injured and then became ill from the medication he was prescribed to help manage his condition.

Dylan retrained as an individual support worker. This year he has also been helping create safe and supportive environments for children through a volunteer role with DCP.

“I wanted to give back to the DCP community – to all the people who helped me and improved my quality of life,” he says.

“When I was going through foster care, I felt so scared and alone, but there were people who made me know that I wasn’t alone; I had a voice and I could ask questions, and there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

“I wanted to be a light for someone else – to give someone a bit of hope.” Dylan’s “lights” included some of the staff supporting him as a youngster, along with his foster carer who helped him through difficult times – and the pair remain close to this day.

His main role with DCP was driving young people to school, work and visits with family members.

But one of his most rewarding assignments was working with a carer to set up a backyard trampoline for two foster siblings.

“Seeing them so happy with their surprise trampoline, my heart just melted,” he says.

Dylan is now exploring employment in the mining industry, but hopes to return to his role with DCP in future.

If you'd like more information on DCP's volunteer roles, call 0492 000 743 or visit our Volunteering page.