The ACT Youth Justice Awards, Resilient Australia ACT Awards, and Allied Health Excellence Awards were all held this week.

ACT Youth Justice Awards

Australasian Youth Justice Acknowledgment Day (Tuesday 15 October) celebrates and recognises the work of youth justice staff across Australia and New Zealand.

The winners of the 2025 ACT Youth Justice Awards are:

• Belinda Garcia – Exceptional Practice – Individual; and
• Recidivist Offender Multi-Agency Round Table (ROMART) – Exceptional Practice – Team

Ms Garcia works in the Health and Community Services Directorate’s Intensive Adolescent Services team. Her peers nominated her for her exceptional approach when working with highly complex cases; unwavering commitment to preventing young people from coming into or returning to the youth justice system; and passionate and fierce advocacy for the wellbeing of her clients, ensuring that their voices are heard.

“I am so proud to work in Youth Justice,” Ms Garcia said. “It’s a privilege to work alongside our young people during critical periods of their lives, and support them in their journey of realising their personal potential, opportunities for growth, and life-changing goals

“These awards are a reminder of the dedication and compassion my colleagues across the sector deliver every day, working with some of the most vulnerable members of our community to help keep everyone safe, which is work that is not always visible to the wider community.”

ROMART is a multi-agency case management body made up of representatives from ACT Policing, Youth Justice and Adolescent Services, Child, Youth and Families Services, Therapeutic Support Team, and Bimberi Youth Justice Centre. The team supports high-risk youth offenders, diverting them from prison and improving community safety.

Ms Garcia and the ROMART team will be the ACT’s nominees in the 2025 Australasian Youth Justice Awards in December.

Michael Pettersson MLA, Minister for Children, Youth and Families, presented the awards at the Bimberi Youth Justice Centre. He congratulated the award winners, and all nominees, for their vital work, often undertaken in difficult circumstances.

“Every day, people in the youth justice sector make a real difference in our community by supporting vulnerable young people, advocating for them, and ultimately helping them to transform their lives,” Mr Pettersson said.

“Youth justice professionals overcome significant and complex challenges in their day-to-day jobs, but their achievements often go unrecognised. For this reason, it’s incredibly important that we celebrate the valuable contributions that these dedicated professionals make in our community and thank them for helping young people to grow up to lead positive lives…

“The winners and nominees – and indeed all youth justice professionals in the ACT – should be incredibly proud of their achievements.”

Resilient Australia ACT Awards

Two ACT Government initiatives preparing communities for emergencies and climate change have received Resilient Australia ACT Awards.

The awards — sponsored by the Commonwealth Government and managed by the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience — recognise projects that strengthen disaster resilience across all sectors, from government and health services to community organisations and education providers.

This year’s ACT recipients are:

Mental Health and Wellbeing Award: Canberra Health Services, for the Stormbirds Disaster Recovery Program, a small-group wellbeing initiative for children aged 6–14 affected by natural disasters. In October 2024, Canberra Health Services trained of 41 child and family workers in the Stormbirds program.

Government Award: The Justice and Community Safety Directorate’s Security and Emergency Management Division, for the ACT Disaster Resilience Strategy 2024–2030 — the first of its kind in the ACT. It embeds resilience across the economy, environment, infrastructure, and community wellbeing.

“The ACT Disaster Resilience Strategy outlines what all of us can do to build resilience to disasters and make the ACT a safer place to live,” Catherine King, the division’s manager, said. “We’re honoured to have received an award for this important work.”

Winners from each jurisdiction go into the mix for national awards next month.

Dr Marisa Paterson MLA, Minister for Fire and Emergency Services, congratulated the ACT winners:

“We are proud to support these awards, which foster whole-of-community resilience. It’s through collaborative efforts like these that we can truly build a stronger, more prepared Canberra.

“As the impacts of climate change become more evident, it is vital that we work together to prepare for and mitigate the effects of disasters. These awards celebrate the proactive steps our awardees have taken to ensure a safer, more resilient future for all Canberrans.”

Allied Health Excellence Awards

The Allied Health Excellence Awards recognise those who make a lasting impact on the health and wellbeing of our community through innovation, leadership, education, research, and collaboration.

The Allied Health Professional of the Year for 2025 is Leah Robinson from Canberra Health Services, who was recognised for Allied Health Management and Leadership Excellence.

As Speciality Services Allied Health Manager, Ms Robinson leads a team within Alcohol and Drug Services (ADS) at Canberra Hospital. The team supports both inpatients in the withdrawal unit and outpatients who have received opioid treatment or medical services.

“Leah is recognised for leading with respect, compassion, and integrity, creating a safe and supportive environment for professional collaboration and a culture of accountability and constant improvement,” her citation reads.

“I feel truly honoured receive this allied health excellence award,” Ms Robinson said. “I feel very humbled, and appreciate those that took the time to make the nomination. I’m very grateful that every day I have the opportunity to do work that is meaningful to me and to work alongside such a fantastic, supportive team. Thank you so much!”

Other recipients are:

• Practice Excellence: Bjarne Kragh, Southside Physio
• Allied Health Assistance Excellence: Laura Colgan, Canberra Health Services
• Research Excellence: Carol McCrum, Canberra Health Services
• Education Excellence: Nikki Noakes, Canberra Health Services
• Team Excellence: Adult Acute Mental Health Services Allied Health Team, Canberra Health Services
• Early Career Excellence: Claire Lessels, Canberra Health Services
• Excellence in Provision of Service to Improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Wellbeing: Allied Health Team at Yerrabi Yurwang, Child and Family Aboriginal Corporation
• Consumer Recognition: Brie Bobinskas, University of Canberra and Jackie Lee and Briony Abraham, Como Therapy

Health minister Rachel Stephen-Smith MLA said the ACT Government is committed to supporting allied health professionals.

“Every Canberran will receive care or support from an allied health professional at some point in their life, whether it is in a hospital, community health centre, GP surgery, mental health services, schools, aged care or disability services.”

“The ACT Allied Health Awards celebrate the expertise and leadership of a workforce that is central to the health and wellbeing of our community,”

Chief allied health officer Dr Sue Fitzpatrick congratulated the winners and nominees. “These awards honour professionals whose expertise, collaboration, and innovation are improving lives every day and laying the foundation for a healthier future.”