The system works: after almost 12 months of relentless campaigning, the Dalwood Spilstead Family Intervention and Support Service (DSS) at Seafroth has been saved.
The campaign has been led by John Darragh, President of Dalwood Auxiliary, who confirmed to Manly Observer the good news: DSS has not only won back the funding that was threatened to be removed but it has also secured the funding to be renewed each year. And if that’s not something to celebrate, then the fact that NSW Health is considering rolling out the program to other parts of the state (something DSS has long advocated for) definitely is.
“We were moving the campaign to the next phase, which included a petition of around 5,000 signatures and to organise public meetings to really put the pressure on NSW Health, when we got the letter from Chief Executive of Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD), Anthony Schembri,” John tells us.
“The e-mail said we not only got ongoing funding, but Schembri wanted all the DSS staff to be permanent employees, which is huge in terms of staff retention.
“All the conditions we asked for – guaranteed recurrent funding, permanent staffing, and to roll out the program in NSW were all covered in Schembri’s letter.”
Earlier this year, Manly Observer covered NSW Health’s termination of the funding agreement with DSS in June 2024 (which is redistributed through The Benevolent Society). You can read it in full here.
In short, it meant DSS’s annual budget would drop by $1 million and the service would have to turn away up to 65 familiies and over 100 children seeking crisis support each year.
“We never understood the exact reasoning behind terminating the funding, but it was due to finish up in June 2024, and then, because of the pressure we were putting on them, it got extended to December 2024, then June 2025,” John says.
“There always seemed this intent to replace the funding somehow, but it was only bit by bit which isn’t workable.”
John explains how, due to the uncertainty in funding, DSS had to stop referrals, reduce their workload and they inevitably lost staff.
“DSS couldn’t take on any new clients because the program takes 18 to 36 months, depending on the severity of the situation,” he adds.
“It’s the long-term continuity and intensity of the program that drives the success rate.”
DSS is an early intervention model that provides a holistic and integrated approach to the needs of vulnerable families and “at risk” children. All services for both parents and children are provided under one service umbrella and from the one team to maximise engagement with families and ensure optimal co-ordination and consistency of service delivery.
While John says there doesn’t seem to be any conditions to the committed funding that he isn’t happy with, the intention to roll out the program beyond Seaforth will be one to watch as it won’t be a cheap exercise, and no specific funding agreement has been reached.
How they got NSW Health to change their mind
John tells us he and Roger Gray, former President of Balgowlah Rotary Club, wrote to NSW Health when they first heard DSS funding was to be terminated – this was in October last year.
“We started to get negative responses, so we amped the pressure up a bit,” John recalls.
“The minute we published we were having funding problems, various groups and individuals got on board, and we got a lot of support and off the campaign went.”
On behalf of the DSS team, John wants to particularly thank the efforts of the Parents in Action Group (former clients of DSS), Dalwood Auxiliary (who raise funds for DSS to plug funding gaps), Balgowlah Rotary Club (who has been a long-time supporter of DSS), local Indigenous groups (who account for 20 per cent of DSS clientele) and the general community and Dalwood supporters who have signed petitions and donated to DSS.
“Community members have rung me up and said, ‘We need to keep DSS up and running, how can I donate money?’. That’s just wonderful,” John adds.
Gunyadu First Nations Women’s Corporation was one such organisation who advocated for DSS’s funding to be reinstated.
“DSS provide wonderful services from one place on the Northern Beaches which benefits so many families and children,” Aunty Michelle Johnson, Director and Member of Gunyadu First Nations Women’s Corporation, told us.
“Over the years, since 2018, when DSS first lost its funding, we’ve been advocating for funding for this essential service.
“Our member, Jai Fifita, has put in hours and hours of letter writing, but also, in this round of advocacy, we have written to Kate Washington, NSW Minister for Families and Communities, and met with NSLHD to ensure they were aware of the positive impact DSS makes on the community and how their service is irreplaceable.
“I can’t even tell you how many petitions we have gone around and got signed. I’m just please that DSS have their funding back in place.”
Local politicians, Member for Manly James Griffin and Independent Member for Wakehurst Michael Regan worked hard behind the scenes to support John in securing the funding.
“Mr Griffin organised a conference call with Schembri and I believe that call was a turning point, as it was when Schembri realised that he didn’t truly understand the DSS model,” John explains.
“After visiting the service and talking to people, he realised that is a gem of a service. It is the diamond in the rough, and it stands out above everything else as being exactly what we need to solve some of these intergenerational problems.”
John says both Mr Griffin and Mr Regan worked hard to lobby behind the scenes.
“Dalwood’s integrated model of care for vulnerable parents and children works,” Mr Regan said in a statement.
“We know it changes lives, setting them on a better course in those crucial early years. The level of support from users of the service, and the broader local community, speaks for itself. To let this valued institution close would have been so shortsighted and disappointing. I am glad to see sense prevail.”
“I promised the Manly community that I would do everything I could to reverse this decision and keep Dalwood open and running,” Mr Griffin added.
“In partnering with a number of vocal community groups and individuals, and following several discussions with the Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD), the NSW Government has finally heard our calls and common sense has prevailed.”
The issue also caught the eye of Zali Steggall, Member for Warringah.
“Even though Zali’s federal, and DSS is a state issue, she’s a big supporter of ours because she sees the model being rolled out across the county and she’s looking at the bigger picture,” John explains.
The team at Health is also on John’s thank you list.
“I’d really like to publicly thank, Professor Anthony Schembri and the team at Health, because we’ve given them a bit of a hard time. And look, they’ve come to the party. And every time I’ve spoken to him, he’s been 100 per cent professional, and supportive and he’s always stood by his commitments,” John says.
In response, a Northern Sydney Local Health District spokesperson said, “We are pleased to announce continued recurrent funding for the Dalwood Spilstead Service (DSS). NSLHD firmly believes in the DSS integrated parent and child-focused therapeutic and case management service. We are strongly committed to growing the DSS model to extend the reach to vulnerable families living across the northern Sydney region. We thank the DSS staff for their ongoing commitment to the service and its clients. Their professionalism and patience as we have worked towards a sustainable resourcing solution is greatly appreciated.”
