Patrick Whitfield has been a dedicated Youth Worker and Case Manager at the Barnardos Our Place Youth Foyer for 9 years. He is a prominent and respected figure in the ACT youth sector and has had several YOGIES nominations from both his colleagues and young people.
With a wealth of knowledge, he excels in his strengths-based, ethical practice, and tirelessly demonstrates what good youth work can look like. Patrick has been committed to elevating young people’s voices in his service and the broader community, establishing the Youth Advisory Group (YAG) at Our Place. He has been a steadfast support for their advocacy, resulting in the young people meeting with multiple politicians, having their message published, and even being mentioned in Question Time.
In the past year, he stepped up to take on the additional responsibility of Acting Program Manager. By continuing to work with the young people he was responsible for while balancing his duties as Program Manager, he preserved the hard-earned trust and rapport he had built with them and alleviated workload concerns for his staff.
This year as Program Manager, Patrick has demonstrated strong and transparent leadership in uncertain times, responding quickly to difficult situations and providing a much-needed source of calm strength for his team and the young people he works with. Further, he was instrumental in assisting the YAG to advocate for an extension of funding for their program. Staff and young people alike refer to him as ‘the glue that holds everything together’.
