OARS Offenders Aid And Rehabilitation Services Of S.A. Inc.

Welcome to OARS Community Transitions, a Quality Improvement Council accredited organisation.

OARS Community Transitions, one of Australia's most innovative non-government Crime Prevention Agency based in Adelaide South Australia. This web site is designed to inform and educate you about OARS Community Transitions, its objectives, policies and services, and about broader criminal justice issues. You can browse around extensive resources on crime and justice on this site, download documents and go to our criminal justice links page.

If your interest is more personal and you require assistance, our contact details are below. You may wish to phone or email us about your needs.

If you would like to be a part of the services team and help as a volunteer, or assist us financially, please contact us and we would be more than happy to respond. Our volunteer brochure is also on this site.

Most importantly, become a part of our vision to strengthen communities by reducing crime and its impact.

Strong communities with positive social connections underpinned by restorative practices.

Reduce social harm by strengthening communities and social inclusion through the provision of restorative justice services, high quality treatment and rehabilitation services, support and advocacy, at critical transition points.

12/12/2011 It is that time of the year that gives us cause for reflection on the year past and planning for the year ahead. We have put some of the highlights into our Christmas Newsletter 2011 which we hope you will enjoy reading. We wish you all a safe and happy Christmas.

05/05/2011 We are delighted to announce that we have been successful in winning the tender to provide counselling services for the Therapeutic Courts. The contract is for 2 years and we are about to start planning the implementation phase. Several staff have already been through the required training programme to ensure that we have a good understanding of the approach. We will be using the Moral Reconation Therapy approach as directed by the contract, and the Courts Administration Authority have been providing support.

18/04/2011 It was great to see Dyson Road Office re-open last week after a six month closure for major renovations. We now look forward to the continued delivery of services in the South.

28/02/2011. It is with sadness that the Angaston Op Shop closed on the 28th Feb after 34 years of service to the community - the actual shop is being bulldozed for redevelopment. It was an emotional time for the volunteers. In the words of the Shop CoOrdinator, Sue Altus, "All OARS Volunteers ladies have treated the Op Shop as special to them – as if it was David Jones. They have always taken pride and been very proud to be part of the OARS Barossa that has survived for 34 years. All good things must come to end however."

Geoff Lemmey and Rob van Buuren are to be thanked for their oversight of this shop over the last 17 years, and Sue, Lee, Cathy, Margaret, Una and Helen for their fantastic commitment over recent years. Sue has been coordinating this shop for 20 years which is truly amazing.

13/02/2011 Judge Peggy Hora’s report (former Adelaide Thinker in Residence) about her views on the future of the Criminal Justice System has now been released. It makes very interesting reading and reinforces many of our policy views.

We are delighted that the Co-morbidity Project has been granted an extension for 18 months beginning 1st January 2011.

20/01/2011 We received notification today that OARS Community Transitions has received a positive response to one of the Proceeds of Crime Grants. This will be used to develop our Second Chance Employment Network.

30/11/2010 Sadly Ray Kidney recently passed away and his funeral was held on 30th November. Ray will be remembered with great fondness by all those who worked with him. As a former CEO and Life Member of OARS SA, his leadership, energy and compassion for anyone in need was a great example to many. Our thoughts are with Margaret and family at this time.

23/09/2011 Today about 25 people celebrated Heather Searle's retirement with her at the Prince Albert Hotel with a great meal and a lot of stories. Heather has made a major contribution to the work of OARS SA and has assisted hundreds of clients during her 17 years of work. Heather will be remembered with much love and respect by all of us who have been privileged to work with her.

09/09/2010 Unfortunately the Department for Correctional Services has advised that we have been unsuccessful in our Expression of Interest for continuing the delivery of our services to their clients.

Whilst this is a completely unexpected outcome, this service represents only a part of our work and we will continue expanding our other services.

July 2010. After much testing, we are delighted that our new Client Services Database is now operational. This is an exciting development as we seek to improve the quality of our Client Services. It has been developed in conjunction with MSI (Membership Solutions International) and our thanks go to the team there, whose expertise has made this project easy.

1/12/2009 Our Gambling Support Services has received high praise as a result of its recent Accreditation Review. Our programme easily met all standards required and we look forward to continuing our high standards well into the future.

19/11/2009 The State Government has today decided that it will not approve the recommendations of the Parole Board with respect to a further 2 prisoners. The Ministerial Statement focussed entirely on the circumstances of the crimes, both of which happened over 10 years ago. No mention was made of the significant rehabilitation that has been undertaken nor of the readiness of both men to return to the community. This is a further disappointment and in our view the State Government should follow most of the other States in Australia and legislate to remove its political role from the Parole process.

4/6/2009 The State Government has today cancelled the PPP for new prison infrastructure in South Australia. This is a retrograde step and can only lead to more disenfranchised offenders and increased crime.

11/3/2009 OARS SA has been awarded a place on the DEEWR Innovations Panel to deliver Innovative Employment Services for our clients. This is great news and we are currently preparing several funding submissions to ensure better employment outcomes. Watch this space. We are eagerly awaiting the outcome of our Tender for Employment Services.

1/3/2009 OARS SA welcomes the Hon Tom Koutsantonis MP to the Correctional Services portfolio as Minister for Correctional Services. The Minister has announced the expansion of current Correctional facilities to ensure a better quality service to prisoners, and in our view this will reduce the overcrowding currently evident in our prisons significantly.

9/11/2008 OARS SA Patron, His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce, AC CSC RANR, Governor of South Australia, officially opened our new OARS office at Murray Bridge. The event went very smoothly and the Governor was warm and generous in his praise of our work. The Murray Bridge Branch and the OARS SA staff and volunteer workers at Murray Bridge were also congratulated by OARS SA CEO Leigh Garrett for their outstanding work and commitment to services in the region. The organisation of the event was flawless. The Murray Bridge Branch members put on a fantastic afternoon tea and a great time was had by all. The Governor is very interested in our work and his understanding of, and empathy with, the issues and problems we face working alongside the criminal justice system was very encouraging to all in attendance. The opening was supported by the presence of the Deputy Mayor of the Rural Council of Murray Bridge, Phil Nutt, and CEO David Altmann, colleagues and stakeholders from the local community, and most importantly, OARS SA staff and local Branch volunteers.