NAAFLS new Chief Executive Officer, Cindy Torrens, has hit the ground running since taking up the position in late April, with a firm focus on policy and workforce development, and ensuring NAAFLS is at the forefront of conversations surrounding issues impacting domestic, family and sexual violence in Aboriginal communities.
Cindy is a Warlmanpa/Wambaya woman with over 30 years of knowledge and experience across the social services, health and criminal justice sectors of the Northern Territory. Cindy comes to NAAFLS from the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA), Indigenous Prisoner Throughcare Programs which specialise in the delivery of transitional support to Aboriginal men, women and young people as they navigate the complexities of the NT Criminal Justice System.
In her new role with NAAFLS, Cindy brings her strong belief in a holistic approach to strengthening families to promote safety and wellbeing for women and children in remote areas.
“With much of my life growing up in Tennant Creek and Katherine, I am familiar with the context in which we live and work, and I remain deeply passionate about strengthening families to ensure that Aboriginal children are born healthy and strong, grow up safe and happy, and they are afforded every opportunity to thrive.
Furthermore, much work is yet to be done to Close the Gap on inequality for Aboriginal people, but to achieve this, priority must be given to building a sustainable workforce with particular focus on succession management and leadership development of Aboriginal staff to ensure that well into the future, Aboriginal people continue to be supported by Aboriginal people.
I am humbled to have been chosen as the Chief Executive Officer of NAAFLS, an organisation that is primed for substantial growth. It is an exciting time to join this amazing team and I look forward to continuing to build on the achievements of those who have come before me.”