No images? Click here
In this edition
Inclusion and Early Intervention General Manager Update
Practice Operations Manager Update
ECA NT Staff Update
Events and Media Update
NT Committee Update
Welcome to the June Newsletter update as we enter this glorious dry festival season enjoying the breezy mornings and cool evenings!
It’s been a busy few months, not least renegotiating both our Inclusion Support Program (ISP) and NDIS Partner in the Community (PiTC) contracts. I am delighted to say we have finally signed an extension of our contract for the delivery of the ISP, and we are in the final stages of negotiating an extension of our contract with the NDIS for the PiTC program. These extensions come amid significant sector policy reform in both the inclusion and NDIS space. ECA is involved in several national forums, collectives and alliances attending to some of these key reforms including the development of an Inclusion Capabilities Framework being steered by ACECQA, the design and development of foundational supports with the Australian Child & Family Services Alliance and future contracting processes with the Partner in the Community CEO collective.
As I focus on some of these national sector reforms for ECA we have undertaken a minor restructuring of our ECA NT leadership team.
In April we were delighted to appoint Trish Wachtel to a new Practice Operations Manager role that has taken on the operational management of both the Partner in the Community and the ISP programs. Whilst I am still managing these programs, contracts and direction, Trish has taken over the day-to-day operational management of both teams.
We have also extended Deanne Hunt's role as our Business Operations Manager and ECA National Board Secretariat. Both these positions have supported ECA the opportunity to focus on the national inclusion reform agenda.
It’s been a busy time with some changes in our teams too. In April Catherine Clucas our ISP Program Manager in Alice Springs took up a new position with Congress as the Connected Beginnings Manager. Whilst we were sad to say goodbye to Catherine, we are delighted she remains in the sector doing such important work as a key future partner to ECA in the region. That loss came with the gain of appointing the lovely Bethan Rees, our new Team Leader in Alice. Bethan comes with 10 years experience working in the region and we are delighted to have her on the team.
A highlight of this quarter, celebrating National Reconciliation Week, the team had the privilege of hearing from our friend Dr Richard Fejo (Larrakia Traditional Owner) who spoke with us about cultural protocols, kinship systems and what reconciliation means to him.
Finally, as we approach the end of this financial year, I’ll end with a very brief snapshot into the work we have undertaken this year.
We currently have over 1,100 children and families receiving support from our PiTC program and over 200 ECEC services having received support from our ISP team in the last 12 months.
We look forward to keeping you up to date on the next iteration of this work and hope you enjoy this fabulous festival season in the top end!
Janet Williams-Smith
Inclusion and Early Intervention General Manager
Greetings to you all and hoping this beautiful dry season weather is seeing you all out and about enjoying and exploring all that Darwin has to offer.
As mentioned in the Manager update, I am writing to you all from my new role as Practice Operations Manager. I feel very privileged to step into this new role and navigate and support both the NDIS partner in community program and Inclusion Professional program. Both federally funded programs strongly align to ECA's strategic plan and our vision of ‘every young child is thriving and learning’. For those of you that don’t know me well, this is my personal passion as well.
Both programs have been diligently working with their usual passion and commitment during the past quarter. Some highlights to share with you all include:
Southern region IP team received their Alannah and Madeline foundations Buddy Back Packs. This initiative was organised by our southern region IP team members, Tracey Murphy and Sarah Went last year as part of our community engagement and outreach to vulnerable children.
Tracey has kindly shared a bit about Buddy Back Packs for those of you that have not heard of this initiative:
Every year, around 11,000 children and young people across Australia are taken into the care of child protection authorities because they are at serious risk of harm or have no other safe place to live. Many more experience trauma in the face of natural disasters and other hardships.
These experiences can leave children and young people feeling scared and alone, often placing them in unfamiliar environments. We know that many arrive with nothing but the clothes they are wearing and with no other belongings.
Buddy Bags help to meet the immediate material and personal care needs of children and young people and give them a sense of security and comfort as the first step on their journey to safety and recovery.
Buddy Bags are filled with carefully selected items that focus on the physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing of children and young people.
The Buddy Bag backpacks include:
- new pyjamas, socks and underwear, so they can dress in clean clothes
- a toothbrush, toothpaste, face washer and hairbrush to attend to their personal care needs
- a book to relax the mind, a trauma-informed toy for healing play – and an all-important teddy bear to cuddle for emotional comfort.
The dynamic and passionate northern region team have been receiving some wonderful feedback on their recent coaching and mentoring sessions. Topics have included: Connecting with children, Supporting neurodiverse children, Introduction to the Circle of Security.
During this quarter we bid farewell to Maggie Maguire who we were very sad to see go however we are delighted to know we will be collaborating closely with in her new role with East Arnhem Regional Council. We are pleased to be welcoming two new team members in the next quarter. MacKenzie Kidd, who will be based in the Katherine region and Leanne De Bono. The decision to base an IP in the Katherine region came from the growth of services and our commitment to ensuring all regions of the NT are supported to connect and work with the Inclusion Professional program to ensure all children are thriving and learning.
The NDIS team welcomed the vibrant and dynamic Vanessa Burton and Caroline Lamin to the team in March. Both have hit the ground running with Vanessa and Jarrah from the IP team successfully submitting an abstract to present at the Little People Big Dreams Conference in October.
The NDIS team are continuing to grow and mature the early supports that are offered to families which will include a new program called Little Possums – getting ready for school in Term 3. We are eager to see the outcomes from this new initiative.
Our final ENVISAGE programs were delivered for the current contract with the dynamic duo of Michelle and Chloe (parent peer) completing two ENVISAGE First Peoples programs. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with Australian Catholic University to deliver the ENVISAGE programs during the next iteration of their contract.
Enjoy this dry season weather.
Trish Wachtel
Practice Operations Manager
Vanessa was born and raised in France, but after meeting her husband in Europe, she made the life-changing decision to move to Australia. Initially planning to stay in Darwin for just two years, she’s now proudly called the Northern Territory home for over 13 years. With more than 20 years of experience in customer service, Vanessa has held roles in local government, particularly within Housing and Major Projects at Infrastructure NT. Recently, she took a significant step forward in her career, graduating from Charles Darwin University as an Occupational Therapist.
Outside of work, Vanessa is a dedicated mother to two girls, encouraging their love for dance and gymnastics. When she’s not cheering them on, she enjoys sewing, practicing yoga, reading, and spending quality time with her family.
“For me, working with children is not just a job – it’s a privilege and a true honour. I'm thrilled to be part of such a knowledgeable team and excited to contribute to the journeys of children and families.
My name is Caroline and I am originally from Brazil. I am pleased and grateful to have the opportunity to work alongside the ECA knowledgeable team and to continue to support families and children in our community.
I worked in Early Learning Services in Darwin for the past seven years. I am passionate about children's learning journeys and being able to support them in developing their abilities and skills to thrive in life. I value Darwin's welcoming and friendly community, and it is extremely rewarding to me to be able to assist families and children to achieve the best outcome and navigate through challenging and vulnerable times with respect and dignity.
My name is Priscila Borges and I was born and raised in Brazil and then moved to Melbourne nearly nine years ago looking for new opportunities and a better lifestyle. Five years ago, a great job opportunity brought me to Darwin, where I’ve been enjoying the peaceful and enjoyable life in the NT ever since.
I hold a degree in Business Administration from Brazil and a Diploma in Early Childhood Education in Australia. Over the past eight years, I’ve had the privilege of working in various roles in Early Childhood Education, including Educator, Lead Educator, Assistant Manager, and most recently as Centre Director. These experiences have made me even more passionate about working with children and strengthened my commitment to supporting their healthy, safe, and holistic development.
I am now excited to start a new chapter in my career as an Inclusion Professional, a role that aligns deeply with my values.
In my personal life I’m a proud wife and the mother of a fun and energetic three-year-old boy who fills my life with excitement and inspiration every day.
Bethan began her career in media in the UK before setting off to travel 15 years ago. While working in a kindergarten in Thailand, she discovered her passion for early childhood education and went on to retrain in Australia. Since then, she has worked across a wide range of early learning settings, from mainstream centres, to remote Aboriginal communities.
Now based in Alice Springs, Bethan has spent over a decade supporting educators and families across the Northern Territory, deeply listening and learning, driving buses out bush, setting up play spaces in riverbeds, supporting educator wellbeing and helping to inform policy change. Along the way, Bethan recognised a growing need for deeper wellbeing support in the early childhood space. This led her to expand her skills in kids and adult yoga, nervous system coaching, trauma-informed facilitation and breathwork—bridging the gap between care and connection for both children and educators.
Bethan is a single mum to a vibrant and autonomous 4-year-old and a step-mum to an 8-year-old. Her work is heart-led and deeply informed by both lived experience and a belief in the power of connection, care, and nervous system-informed practices to support those caring for our youngest children.
hi my name is Emily and I was born in Darwin and raised in Alice Springs. I began my Early Childhood Education journey in 2009 through Family Day Care, with a baby in arms and a toddler at my side. It was also the launch of the Early Years Learning Framework, which sparked my passion for early learning.
Over the years, I’ve built lasting relationships with families and educators, supported children in Out of Home Care, and transformed my home into a space full of love and learning for all children. I’ve completed two Certificate III’s in Early Childhood Education and Care as well as the Diploma in Early Childhood Education, leading me into a management role with a Family Day Care service, expanding my knowledge and leadership skills.
As part of the Inclusion Professionals team in Alice Springs, I’m dedicated to creating inclusive, supportive spaces for children and educators alike.
In May ECA was delighted to participate in the Darwin Disability Expo run by Integrated Disability Action (IDA). This expo was a disability-led community event, and the largest disability focused event in the NT. This year IDA was excited to showcase a range of services across advocacy and rights, education and training, health and wellbeing, arts and sports, and community services.
In early June the ECA NT team hosted an event for Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea which is a community event that raises vital funds to make a big difference for those impacted by cancer. Staff enjoyed some tasty treats, participated in fundraising and gained more of an awareness of the Cancer Council at its works.
You can donate to this worthy cause here: https://www.biggestmorningtea.com.au/donate
2025 ECA Reconciliation Symposium.
On the 16th and 17th of May ECA NT delegates were honoured to attend the ECA Reconciliation Symposium held on beautiful Gimuy (Cairns) Country. It was a powerful and inspiring gathering, bringing together voices and hearts committed to reconciliation and truth-telling in early childhood education.
It was so wonderful to have Dr Christine Fejo King a Senior Larrakia Elder accept the invitation from the ECA NT Committee to travel to Cairns to participate in the symposium. Her wisdom, cultural leadership and generosity deeply enriched the experience for all who attended.
It was also wonderful to see our scholarship winners Elizabeth Menser and Mohua Taj participating in the symposium and representing the Northern Territory so well.
Symposium delegates travelled from across the NT, including Katherine, Roper Gulf, Darwin and Alice Springs, reflecting the strength and diversity of our early childhood community.
We are grateful for the opportunity to walk this journey together and to continue learning, reflecting, and advocating for meaningful reconciliation across our communities and early years settings.
Early Childhood Australia NT acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout the Northern Territory and pay our respect to Elders past and present for their continuing custodianship of the land and the children of this land, across the generations.
