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AbSec News

The NSW Aboriginal Child and Family awards are held annually by AbSec to acknowledge those working to support Aboriginal families throughout the state, celebrating individuals and organisations that have made remarkable contributions and outstanding achievements to improving outcomes for our children.


Thank you to everyone who put forward nominations this year. We were overwhelmed with not only the number of nominations but also the quality and hard work that individuals and organisations have been doing in the community and this made it extremely tough for our independent judging panel to select the winners.

This year was a year like no other, and it made the contributions of all our award winners and nominees even more important. COVID-19 had a significant impact, especially on Aboriginal communities, and it was heartening to see so many stories of people stepping up in the community.

Unfortunately due to the pandemic we were unable to hold an event this year to announce our winners and celebrate their contributions in the way that we would have hoped, however, we have never been more appreciative of their work.

The awards go to…

Leticia Quince

Leticia Quince

Young Person of the Year

Leticia is a leader and mentor to her peers. She spent most of her life in the child protection system, as did her siblings. With her own experience in the child protection system, Leticia has been able to use this to look at ways of improving services for children and young people as a caseworker in the Dubbo area. She is currently employed with Uniting Care, in a role in a pilot project as a Youth Development Coach. This has her mentoring young people and providing a smoother transition to independent living. She works alongside other caseworkers to support young people aged 15-21 years.

Why they won

Despite being young, Leticia has been providing a voice for Aboriginal children and young people with a care experience in NSW for some time now. She has been active in participating in forums, conferences and interviews to provide insight into the needs of Aboriginal young people who have been removed from their families and placed into care. Leticia has also been a valued member of Family and Community Service Youth Advisory Council representing young people with a care experience, represented young people on the Dubbo Youth Council, as an AbSec Youth Ambassador, with Create Foundation and has worked and volunteered at the Dubbo Neighbourhood Centre and as a dance instructor.

Impact on children, families and the community

Through all of her work in the community, Leticia has had a huge impact, especially for children and those with an experience of care. She is currently in the process of developing a website for her personal blog, embracing her story, who she is and who she is evolving into. This will be a massive step in her own healing and growth, but also in providing an opportunity for others to connect, understand and share.

Leticia Quince

Leticia Quince

Young Person of the Year

Leticia is a leader and mentor to her peers. She spent most of her life in the child protection system, as did her siblings. With her own experience in the child protection system, Leticia has been able to use this to look at ways of improving services for children and young people as a caseworker in the Dubbo area. She is currently employed with Uniting Care, in a role in a pilot project as a Youth Development Coach. This has her mentoring young people and providing a smoother transition to independent living. She works alongside other caseworkers to support young people aged 15-21 years.

Why they won

Despite being young, Leticia has been providing a voice for Aboriginal children and young people with a care experience in NSW for some time now. She has been active in participating in forums, conferences and interviews to provide insight into the needs of Aboriginal young people who have been removed from their families and placed into care. Leticia has also been a valued member of Family and Community Service Youth Advisory Council representing young people with a care experience, represented young people on the Dubbo Youth Council, as an AbSec Youth Ambassador, with Create Foundation and has worked and volunteered at the Dubbo Neighbourhood Centre and as a dance instructor.

Impact on children, families and the community

Through all of her work in the community, Leticia has had a huge impact, especially for children and those with an experience of care. She is currently in the process of developing a website for her personal blog, embracing her story, who she is and who she is evolving into. This will be a massive step in her own healing and growth, but also in providing an opportunity for others to connect, understand and share.