Delivered by the Department for Child Protection (DCP) in partnership with the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) the event will be held during National Child Protection Week, on Friday 8 September at Adelaide Oval.

The 2023 South Australian Child Protection Awards Gold Sponsor is Lutheran Care.

For the first time, this year’s awards will include an individual Lifetime Achievement Award.

Awards are on offer across a range of categories including:

• Outstanding achievement of a child or young person (or group of children/young people) who has had a care experience (up to 25 years): celebrating the successes of children and young people.
• The Voice of Children and Young People in care: recognising an individual or organisation supporting the voice of children and young people in care to be heard in decisions that affect them.
• Active Efforts Award: acknowledging an individual or organisation making outstanding active efforts to implement the Aboriginal Child Placement Principle, which recognises the importance of each child staying connected to family, community, culture and Country.
• Positive Impact Award: providing children and young people with a care experience, up to the age of 25, the opportunity to nominate someone such as a carer or support worker making a positive difference to their lives, particularly through assisting them to have a voice.
• Outstanding Service Awards in the following categories:
  * Non-government organisations
  * Across Government
  * Department for Child Protection
  * Regional
  These awards recognise an individual’s or team’s contribution to outstanding services to better care for and protect children and young people.
• South Australian Foster Carer of the Year: recognising foster, specific-child only and Long Term Guardianship (Specified Person) carers, who have made a significant contribution to the lives of children and young people in care.
• South Australian Kinship Carer of the Year: recognising kinship carers, who have made a significant contribution to the lives of children and young people in care.
• Volunteer of the Year: recognising the invaluable contributions to child protection made by volunteers working in government or non-government agencies.
• Lifetime Achievement Award: recognising an individual who through exceptional dedication and commitment has made a significant contribution to child protection for at least 15 years.

Nominations close on Friday 9 June 2023.

Quotes attributable to Katrine Hildyard, Minister for Child Protection:

Every child deserves to feel safe and loved, and the wider South Australian community can play a role in a brighter future for children and young people.

Child protection is everyone’s responsibility; these awards are a fantastic way of raising awareness about how we can all play a part in building a strong child protection system that enables children and young people to thrive.

This is an important opportunity to recognise those who give their time and energy to supporting and empowering children and young people.

Every day, I am inspired by the stories I hear about the great work happening in this space, about people’s extraordinary efforts; these awards provide an important opportunity to share those fantastic achievements and to recognise people’s extraordinary compassion, generosity, and commitment.

From the foster and kinship carers who open their hearts and homes to children and young people, to the volunteers driving them to appointments and family visits, and the services giving young people a voice, there is so much great work to celebrate.

These stories encourage everyone to stay the course, to know that their efforts can and do make a difference.

Quotes attributable to Leesa Waters, Chief Executive, NAPCAN:

The recently released Australian Child Maltreatment Study showed that childhood abuse is extremely widespread and has an impact on all of us now and into the future.

The awards play a really important role in highlighting what works to keep children safe and the many ways that South Australians are joining together to ensure that every child in every community is safe and supported.

To find out more about the awards, visit www.childprotection.sa.gov.au/awards.