Santa Dave brings Christmas joy to the Territory

By PETER ROWE

For Central Australia Santa (aka Dave Miller, a dedicated Aboriginal Community Worker), the opportunity to don the red suit and see the children’s faces light up with smiles is the highlight of his Christmas.

Teams across the Territory hosted events with dedicated child protection staff taking on the role of Santa or his elves, handing out gifts, sharing Christmas cheer and taking the kids on tours of brightly decorated offices and facilities.

“Having the opportunity to acknowledge and thank our foster and kinship carers for their commitment and hand out gifts to all the kids at these events was really special,” Dave said.

In the Northern Territory, foster and kinship carers play an important role in the lives of children and young people while they are in care.

Children may come into care for a range of reasons and when Department of Children and Families Child Protection teams need to place a child in care, they work closely with the children, carers and families to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the child.