Welcome to the website of the Northern Rivers Social Development Council (NRSDC)

Our Mission

Northern Rivers Social Development Council (NRSDC) is a community-based not-for-profit organisation that promotes fairness and social inclusion in the Northern Rivers region of NSW. NRSDC represents and strengthens communities and services by:

• Providing opportunities and services to alleviate disadvantage
• Engaging in advocacy and promotion
• Informing and educating people, organisations and government
• Encouraging partnerships
• Undertaking research and planning for future needs.

Our Vision

...together in a fair community

Our Values

We apply the following values when we work with our community, clients, partners, external stakeholders and staff:

Integrity - we will act honestly, openly, consistently and in accordance with the aims of NRSDC
Respect - we will value the expertise, knowledge and opinions of others
Empowerment - we will work to increase the capacity of individuals, communities and organisations to become more self-reliant
Fairness - we will promote equity and justice in our dealings with each other and others
Collaboration - we will work in partnership to promote the best result for everyone
Inclusion - we value diversity and will work to ensure that the benefits of prosperity are shared by all.

Acknowledgment of Indigenous Custodians

NRSDC acknowledges the Bundjalung, Arakwal and Yaegel peoples who are the traditional custodians of the land which comprises the northern rivers.

Click here to download our Strategic Plan 2006-2009
Click here to download our Annual Report 2006-2007

Our History

NRSDC was formed in 1976 when a strong group of local people come together to identify ways of improving and developing the communities on the far north coast of NSW, the Northern Rivers region.

NRSDC was incorporated in 1985 and with a dedicated and committed management committee, has over 20 years, built the services and programs that make up our organisation today.  

Our work is grounded in our community and seeks to identify and strengthen the many community resources of our region.

Current NRSDC Programs

Northern Rivers Reconnect
Reconnect aims to provide opportunities, choice and support to young people and their families to prevent youth homelessness.  Reconnect operates across the Northern Rivers with caseworkers located in the Clarence, Richmond Valley, Lismore, Ballina and Tweed.

Reconnect works closely with related agencies including the Department of Community Services (DoCS); Child and Adolescent Mental Health, schools, Juvenile Justice, ACON, Centrelink, SAAP services and other accommodation providers, other youth agencies, family support services and therapists to provide integrated case management and support to young people and their carers.

Lismore/Kyogle Family Planning Service
Lismore/Kyogle Family Planning Service provides a range of high quality, confidential and professional reproductive and sexual health services to people across the Northern Rivers region.  The service works closely with North Coast Area Health community health services, ACON, Women’s Health, and specialist sexual health services and is a key sexual health provider to young people in the Lismore and Kyogle area.

Transport Development Project
The Transport Development Project is a regional initiative to improve access and opportunities for all residents of the Northern Rivers region by developing relevant, effective and publicly available and accessible transport services and infrastructure.

Regional Community Services Development
The Regional Community Services Development (RCSD) Project aims to build strong communities that are informed, resourced and connected. Within these communities equity and diversity will be embraced. The Project attempts to achieve this by assisting to build and sustain the capacity of the community services sector through advocacy and policy development.

Home and Community Care Development
Home and Community Care (HACC) Services provide supports such as domestic assistance, meals, and personal care to support older Australians, younger people with a disability and their carers to be more independent at home and in the community.  The NRSDC HACC program supports HACC services in the region to deliver support to our community.

North Coast Service to Service (S2S) Projects
These projects are working with HACC services, North Coast Area Health Service, DADHC, and disability respite services to conduct a series of electronic service referral and coordination trials.  These trials aim to improve service coordination and simplify pathways to service for clients.

Prevention of Abuse of Older Adults
The Northern Rivers Abuse of Older Adults Prevention Project is developing an interagency protocol and educational program to assist local service providers in responding to incidences of older adult abuse, and to increase public awareness of the nature, impact, and prevalence of elder abuse within the Northern Rivers region.

Affordable Housing Development Project
This project is working with stakeholders including local government, North Coast Community Housing, Housing NSW and land owners to encourage affordable housing development within the region.

Training
NRSDC provides a range of training to meet the needs of workers involved in the community services sector.  Training includes Aboriginal Cross Cultural Awareness, Case Management Strategies for Aboriginal People, Identifying and Responding to Elder Abuse, Governance and Community Based Management.

Lismore Community Farm
Growing Together- A Community Farm Initiative
The Lismore Community Farm is a new project that will establish a self-sustaining, large-scale, state-of-the-art, water conserving Community Farm in the Lismore area. The Farm will provide an opportunity for schools, community groups and individuals to participate in active lifestyles, learn about healthy eating and share knowledge about growing food. Volunteers will work in the garden, which will provide fresh fruit and vegetables to community groups. The Farm will conduct food growing and preparation workshops, tours for schools and groups, create employment and work experience opportunities in the region and help build a sense of community. The Farm will also promote and build knowledge about organic food growing and provide opportunities for people to learn and practise organic gardening skills, with a view to increasing individual and community food security in the Lismore region. The Lismore Community Farm is established through funding received from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.

Please contact the Project Officer, Linda Wirf on 6620 1815 if you are interested in getting involved in the garden.

Diversity Statement
NRSDC will continue to build its capacity to work effectively and equitably to improve the quality of life of all people in the region. We recognise the diversity of communities and respect their cultural, linguistic, sexual, ethnic and religious differences.  We acknowledge and will continue to work with Indigenous communities of the region to ensure that Indigenous people can properly attend to their cultural business and build healthy communities.

Membership
There are three types of NRSDC membership, Individual, Organisational and Affiliate.

Individual Membership - A person is qualified to be an Individual Member of the Council if he or she subscribes to the Objectives of the Council.

Organisational Membership - Organisational Membership shall be open to organisations which are not run for profit and who subscribe to the objectives of the Council. Organisations who qualify for membership include:-

• Agencies, being organisations actively engaged in social welfare within the Northern Rivers region; and
• Regional, sub-regional and local area bodies, being organisations operating to co-ordinate social welfare in the State of New South Wales.

Affiliate Membership - The following organisations may seek appointment as an affiliate of the Council.

• A department or agency of the Government of the State of New South Wales or the Commonwealth of Australia or any government instrumentality in each case involved in social welfare which lacks the power or authority to apply for Organisational membership, or
• Local Government Council or instrumentality of a local government council, or
• Societies, being organisations which are not run for profit, and interested in social welfare, but not actively engaged in social welfare, or
• Organisations run for profit and actively engaged in social welfare in the State of New South Wales, or Organisations run for profit, which are interested in social welfare, but not actively engaged in social welfare

The cost of membership is $16.50 for Individuals and $55.00 for Organisations and Affiliates (GST inclusive).

You can download a copy of the Association Rules or Membership brochure from our publication section:
http://www.nrsdc.org.au/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=192&&Itemid=238