Providing care across the state

St Luke’s Anglicare was established in 1979 by the Anglican Diocese of Bendigo with the support of the Uniting Church. Over 30 years, St Luke’s grew to be a key provider of care services in Victoria’s north-west.

In 2014, St Luke’s Anglicare merged with Anglicare Victoria (AV). This landmark merger strengthened AV’s ability to support families in regional Victoria and enriched AV with staff who held deep knowledge of the local communities.

“St. Luke’s was by far the biggest provider of welfare services in the Loddon Mallee region,” says Andrew Curnow, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Bendigo 2003 – 2017.

While there were many practical aspects to be considered in the lead up to the merger, the values of both organisations were strongly aligned. “If you looked at St. Luke’s statement of values and goals, and then you looked at Anglicare Victoria’s statements of values and goals, they were very similar,” says Bishop Curnow.

Since the merger, communities of the state’s North Central region have benefitted from access to AV’s state wide network of care, while AV has welcomed St Luke’s experienced staff and culture of innovation, including its ground-breaking Rapid Response™ model. This unique early intervention program – which helps to keep families safely together – was developed by St Luke’s, and is now operated by AV in five regions across Victoria.

Stronger together

Paula West was working at St Luke’s as one of two-Family Services program managers at the time of its merger with AV in 2014.

Now a Senior Manager (North Central Region) with AV, Paula has seen how the amalgamation has changed the way services are delivered to communities in the north-west.

“Becoming part of a larger organisation meant access to broader support and opportunities for professional development, along with development of the programs that we delivered,” says Paula. “Over the long term, it has strengthened our approach locally and provided us with a deeper connection in the community.”