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What's happening

The Sunshine work is continuing to create joy, with new families taking leaps toward their good life right across Western Australia. The there has also been a steady groundswell of other organisations who are following the work or embedding learnings into their own models. We've begun connecting allies to see how we might support each other to codify and elevate relational practice in our sector.

Timeline so far

A timeline of Sunshine

Demonstrating outcomes in new sites

Through a mix of philanthropic support, grants and existing funding, the Sunshine coaching function is currently being embedded within a range of services at Anglicare WA and Ruah Community Services. The model is proving that it can be adapted for range of cohorts, settings and communities. 

 

Support for scaling teams includes implementation training and ongoing coaching, regular group reflective practice and access to a range of Sunshine tools and resources.

 

We are actively seeking investment and opportunities to demonstrate the model with additional cohorts, and to further leverage the place-based functions in the Sunshine model to create even more opportunities for families. 

 

Sunshine can currently be found in: 

 

Kununurra – Recovery after family separation 

Kalgoorlie – Elevating a parenting program 

Geraldton – Extending individual mental health recovery to include families 

Perth – Recovery after family violence 

Albany – Recovery after homelessness  

We have also been approached by other funded organisations delivering services for clients with complex challenges, to request to use our formal coaching model and case management structure to give their frontline staff a structure to work to. As this work progresses we look forward to welcoming opportunities to train or embed the model within other organisations. 

Relational Practice Learning Community

Relational practice draws on First Nations wisdom as an intentional way of working where establishing, attending to, and maintaining empathetic and honest interpersonal relationships are prioritised (Oranga Tamariki, 2023).

The Sunshine work is alligned with a growing global movement toward relational practice. As we have begun to scale the Sunshine model, we have connected with sector peers in WA and on the East Coast who are also working on embedding aligned relational practice models which aim to overcome limitations in the current helping system.

These organisations have all indicated that they are facing common challenges with embedding relational practice into BAU beyond the design/testing phase. We have identified common friction points (including our own organisational structures and practices) where system structures can hinder families from being able to meet their needs and grow their good life.

Through initial conversations, several of these organisations have decided to come together with a collective approach to learning forward, to create the necessary shifts within our organisations and also collectively advocate in the wider system for better enabling factors for relational practice.

 

We are in early stages of seeking support to form a structured relational practice learning community to address these challenges at all levels of the system whilst also developing shared, codified practice tools for the whole sector. If you are interested in following, supporting or participating in this work, be sure to contact us

Friends of Sunshine

Working in new ways can be challenging however we are fortunate to be connected with a global network of Sunshine friends we can call upon for wisdom and support. These organisations and alliances are highly aligned with the Sunshine and relational practice, contributing a common voice in advocating for shifts needed at the Government commissioning and social policy level to enable relational work to flourish.

Australia

Imagined Futures - Davis Park Precinct 

Mission Australia 

The City of Kwinana Youth Services - The Arclight Initiative

Parkerville Children and Youth Care - Our Way Home

Brotherhood of St Laurence

54 Reasons

Uniting NSW/ACT - Youth Transitions Model

Social Work and Social Policy : The University of Western Australia

Centre for Relational Care

The Possibility Partnership

New Zealand

Whānau Ora

​United Kingdom

Hilary Cottam

Changing Futures Northumbria- The Liberated Method

Birmingham Pathfinder

Platfform

East Ayrshire Council - Vibrant Communities

Mark Smith

New System Alliance

New Local- A Labor Vision for Community Power 

Good Help

Relationships Project

United States

Relationality Lab

We'd like to offer an extra special thank you to our friends Hilary Cottam, Mark Smith and the teams at Platfform, Birmingham Pathfinder and The Relationships Project for hosting Beth during a study trip to the UK in 2024. 

Follow our updates

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March 2024

June 2023

December 2022

August 202

“It could be that the neighbourhood, not the individual, is the essential unit of social change. If you’re trying to improve lives, maybe you have to think about changing many elements of a single neighbourhood, in a systematic way,

at a steady pace.”

David Brooks

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An initiative between
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We acknowledge Aboriginal Peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands that our services are based on and pay our respects to Elders of these lands both past and present. Anglicare WA and Ruah deliver services across many Countries in WA, from Balanggarra Country in the North to Minang Noongar Country in the South. In particular, we wish to acknowledge the Custodians of the lands where our offices operate. We would like to thank the Noongar, Miriuwung Gajerrong, Tjurabalan, Yawuru, Nyikina, Ngarluma, Kariyarra, Nyiyaparli, Martu, and Wangkatja peoples for their wisdom and generosity. 

©2025 Sunshine

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