Community Services

Council runs a variety of programs through the Community Services section and is responsible for the following areas of community development.

Community Directory

Financial Assistance Grants program

Every year applications for grant funding are invited from groups and organisations who provide services to the Lane Cove community. The aim of this program is to provide financial support to these organisations to help them to provide a range of ongoing and new services to the community and to increase the amount of activities and events available for residents to participate in.  Applications for Financial Assistance opens in mid-December each year and close on the first Monday in March.

Aboriginal Advisory Committee

Community Services Branch convenes Council's Aboriginal Advisory Committee.  The Committee meets bi-monthly.  Its objectives are to: promote an increased knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal culture and society in the wider community and develop the interests of Aboriginal people in the community; to foster positive relations between Council and the  Aboriginal community;  to input into and advise Council on the development and implementation of Council's Community Strategic and other plans;  to foster and facilitate objectives in relation to education and employment and; to provide advice to Council regarding education, health, tourism, employment, culture and customs.

Lower North Shore Domestic Violence Network

The Community Services Branch convenes the quarterly meetings of this Network.  The Network was established to provide Domestic Violence workers and people in related services with a forum to discuss issues affecting their client base; to devise strategies to promote community awareness of Domestic Violence in the region; and exchange information that will assist practitioners reduce the incidence and impact of domestic violence within the Lower North Shore.

Lower North Shore Child and Family Network

Community Services attends the quarterly Lower North Shore Child and Family Network.  The aim of the network is to share information and enhance the capacity of service providers who are working with children from 0-8 yrs and families in Lower North Shore area within an early intervention and prevention framework of Families NSW.  This is achieved through networking and relationship building, planning and advocacy and training support and professional development. 

Lower North Shore Multicultural Network

Staff from Community Services attends the quarterly Lower North Shore Multicultural Network which aims to identify and address issues affecting people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds in the Lower North Shore. It does this by  bringing  together service providers and community groups working with and

for people from CALD backgrounds, providing a forum to raise awareness about issues affecting people from CALD backgrounds and identify strategies to address those issues, facilitating co-operative activity among Network members, providing a forum to liaise with relevant Federal, State, and local government agencies and, exchanging information and expertise to ensure effective and efficient service delivery.

Community Seminars

Each quarter Lane Cove Council, in partnership with North Sydney Council, runs seminars for community groups called 'Meet the Experts'  

Council recognises the social, cultural, recreational, educational and economic contribution community organisations make to the local community and is committed to helping build the capacity of the local sector to address the current and emerging challenges and ensure the sector's long term sustainability.  

Recent seminars have included

• Social Media
• Managing difficult people
• Marketing your organisation
• Developing successful grant submissions
• Powerfully productive people
• Governance for not-for-profit boards
• Community asset building and social enterprise
• Grant writing
• Facebook 101
• Ways to attract more members
• How to attract and retain more members
• Incorporated Associations
• Timebanking
• Pitch Perfect - How to get your message across in 30 seconds or less
• Dealing with change

Aged and Disability Team

Council's Aged and Disability Team covers a broad role from organising and facilitating activities to engage older people in programs; to encourage healthy and active ageing; to informing Council, community groups and government departments of changing needs and policies.

Other activities in the team include

• Preparing and distributing the seniors newsletter, 'The Lane Cove Connection'
• Organising health, fitness  and social programs such as cooking demonstrations, a men's community kitchen, indoor bowls and board games, Zumba, falls prevention activities
• Supporting 'Different Degrees'  the weekly drama workshops for people with disabilities
• Providing information, advocacy and referral services
• Promoting equitable access to community services and facilities for disadvantaged groups and communities
• Providing input into development applications in terms of the accessibility and compliance with Council's DCP – Access and Mobility
• Monitoring service requests and identifying gaps in community services for older people and people with disabilities
• Convening and supporting the Lane Cove Access Committee
• Working through the strategies and actions in the Age-Friendly Action Plan and convening the Age-Friendly Strategy Advisory Committee

Youth Services Team

Lane Cove Council's Youth Services Team operate the Synergy Youth Centre, a drop-in centre where young people aged 11-18 can go to hang-out, seek information about support services or participate in various programmed activities.

The youth team also organises parent forums, provides referrals to counselling and support services for a young person and works with other Councils and youth organisations to create youth strategies and programs for the area.

For more about the youth services team and there program go to the Children and Youth tab on this website