UnitingCare Australia

UnitingCare Australia is the Uniting Church in Australia's (UCA) umbrella community services body. UnitingCare Australia is committed to values based advocacy, speaking with and on behalf of those who are the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, for the common good.

It is a sister body to UnitingJustice Australia whose mandate is to pursue social justice and ecological justice and peace. Both bodies are agencies of the Uniting Church in Australia, National Assembly.

Scope
UnitingCare is also a brand name under which many UCA community services agencies operate although they may be separate legal entities.

It is one of Australia’s largest non-government providers of community services, with 400 community service agencies located across every State and Territory, providing services to 1.8 million Australians each year. UnitingCare agencies employ 35,000 staff and 24,000 volunteers nationally and provides services to children, young people and families, people with disabilities, and older Australians, in urban, rural and remote communities. Agencies providw residential and community care, child care, homelessness prevention and support, family support, domestic violence and disability services.

There are 34 missions (such as the Wesley Missions) and a range of other agencies, the missions come together in the Uniting Missions Network, the other agencies networking is facilitated through the Synod bodies, such as UnitingCare Commissions.

Blue Care is part of the UnitingCare network based in Queensland. The Blue Care organisation provides services such as Centre Based Day Respite, Residential Care, Blue Nursing services, Home Care dementia services, Commonwealth Carelink centres, Commonwealth carer respite centres, nursing homes and other community services.

Mandate
UnitingCare Australia's mandate is to: (UnitingCare Australia's role is defined by its Mandate, March 2005)
 * "To take up community service issues within the theological framework of the Uniting Church, particularly the Church’s social justice perspectives.
 * To develop and reflect on the policies and practices of the Uniting Church in community services.
 * To pursue appropriate issues within the Uniting Church, with Government and the community sector, with the Australian community and with other parts of the church."

National Director
The National Director is Lin Hatfield Dodds, who was also elected in 2006 as President of the Australian Council of Social Service.