The Youth Work Conference and Awards were held in Sydney on 3-4 November 2025. The Benevolent Society’s Child and Family Practitioner Robin Allport took home the 2025 NSW Youth Worker of the Year Award, for her contributions to Benevolent’s Family Connect & Support (FCS) team in Tamworth.
FCS helps vulnerable children, young people and families experiencing life challenges access support services in their communities and minimise impacts from escalating.
The FCS team’s days are varied - sometimes the team attends local events to meet families, while at other times they are on the road connecting with hard-to-reach families who may urgently need assistance.
Meet Robin
“We support families across a spectrum of needs, guiding them from initial assessment through to tailored referrals that connect them with the right services,” said Robin.
“It’s incredibly rewarding seeing how this coordinated approach helps families access meaningful, long-term support. Every day is different - but every day, we’re making a difference.”
Image above: Robin smiling
What does winning the 2025 NSW Youth Worker of the Year Award at the Youth Work Awards mean to you?
It is an incredibly humbling and deeply meaningful recognition.
It’s not just a personal achievement, but a reflection of the collective effort, resilience, and heart that defines our community-based sector. It symbolises the trust that young people and their families place in us. It reaffirms the importance of walking alongside them with empathy, consistency, and belief in their potential.
It also honours my incredible team, who inspire me daily with their commitment to making a difference.
Most of all, it reminds me of the young people who’ve shared their stories and shown extraordinary strength. This award belongs to them as much as it does to me.
Over the past 12 months, what major trends has the team noticed in the support you deliver?
One of the most significant is strengthened partnerships with local schools. Collaborating closely with school staff has led to earlier identification of family needs and more coordinated support. This has been instrumental in achieving better outcomes for children and their families.
We’ve also seen a noticeable increase in self-referrals. It's fantastic to see more families feeling empowered to reach out. This shift reflects growing community awareness of our service and a deeper trust in what we offer.
What do you enjoy the most about your work?
Connections with those we support and my incredible colleagues. Benevolent’s strong values and commitment to achieving the best outcomes creates a culture of care, collaboration, and purpose.
It’s inspiring being part of a team that genuinely puts families first and supports each other.
I love seeing families grow in confidence and independence. I remember calling a client to follow-up on a referral, and they proudly told me they had already made another referral themselves.
That moment really stuck with me. It showed how our early support sparks something powerful in people. It’s incredibly rewarding helping families take that first step, and watching them become proactive in seeking out support.
It’s those moments that remind me why I do what I do.
If you could leave us with one final thought about your work, what would it be?
I truly love my job at Benevolent. I’m proud of the work we do in the FCS team. What makes it so meaningful is knowing that we’re working with families who are doing their best to stay together, often during incredibly challenging times.
Sometimes, families don’t know where to turn for help, or they simply don’t have the energy to navigate the system on their own.
We not only support them through the case coordination process, and help them access the right services and resources. We ensure their voices are heard every step of the way.
When families feel empowered to be part of the decision-making process, it restores their confidence, dignity, and hope.
For me, that’s the most meaningful outcome of our work. It’s incredibly rewarding to see families begin to trust themselves again, take ownership of their journey, and feel seen and heard.
That moment of empowerment isn’t just a milestone, it can spark change and growth for the family.
For more information on our range of Family and Parenting Support services and programs, click here or call 1800 236 762.