What does it mean to be one of the wealthiest nations on earth, yet leave one in six children living in poverty? In Australia, that contradiction is stark — and for nearly 40% of sole parent families, poverty isn't a risk on the horizon, it's the daily reality.

In this episode, Nicky sits down with Melissa Andrews, Program Manager for Barnardos Communities for Children in Shellharbour, to explore what it actually takes to show up for vulnerable children and families — and why place-based, community-led programs like those facilitated here are among the most important investments our society can make.

Communities for Children, facilitated by Barnardos, is one of 52 targeted programs operating in locations of need across Australia. In Shellharbour, Melissa and her team are doing far more than delivering services — they are building something lasting. The program is grounded in research and evidence, but at its heart, it is guided by a deceptively simple principle: be led by the children themselves.

Barnardos is busy compiling the fourth State of Shellharbour’s Children Report and Melissa reflects on what the data reveals for its youngest residents. Since the 2019 report, the region has weathered COVID, bushfires, and a sustained erosion of housing stability. Cost of living pressures have intensified, and while some education indicators show improvement, the data points to areas of entrenched disadvantage that demand continued, long-term investment. Melissa is clear that raising the jobseeker rate would make a meaningful difference — and that community programs like Communities for Children are proven mechanisms for levelling the playing field.

You'll hear about flagship initiatives like EduPlay camps, which bring children and families together in ways that build confidence, connection, and joy. The program's end-of-year awards night — celebrating achievements that might otherwise go unrecognised — is a powerful reminder of what it means to be seen. Melissa describes the deep networks of peers, mentors, and staff that form around young people in the program, and why those relationships matter long after any single activity ends.

Perhaps most pressing is this: Communities for Children is currently under government review, and there is real anxiety about what the future holds. With 20 years of data demonstrating what works, Melissa makes a compelling case — not just as an advocate, but as someone who has witnessed lives transformed. One young woman, born into intergenerational poverty, is now in education and forging her own path forward. That story, Melissa says, is not the exception. It is the point.

As Melissa puts it simply: ”It's a really sound investment. It makes a lot of sense.”

Resources and Links:

• Barnardos Communities for Children Shellharbour programs –  Communities for Children | Barnardos Australia
• The State of Australia’s Children 2025 Report – The State of Australia’s Children 2025 report – ACYWA
• The Australian

Acknowledgement of Country

Community Industry Group' podcast is recorded on beautiful Dharawal Country, and we acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, and their Elders. 

We acknowledge and respect their continuing culture, the world’s oldest living culture, and the contribution they make to the life of this region and our country. 

We acknowledge that we live and work on Aboriginal land and recognise the strength, resilience and capacity of Aboriginal people.

Music Credit:

”Jarvic 8” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/