Australia’s first charity has selected the University of Wollongong for its new Illawarra office and will move into its Innovation Campus premises on August 1.

‘’This new office is absolutely beautiful with excellent premises in such a convenient location as the University of Wollongong,’’ The Benevolent Society CEO Jo Toohey said.

‘’Having our office on campus gives us the opportunity to partner with academics who are experts in the studies of community services so that we can draw upon their knowledge, which will be a tremendous boon to our practitioners.

‘’Additionally, we will offer placements to students in community service areas to assist in their learning.

‘’Being able to use high level knowledge and thinking and integrate it with our service delivery will certainly set us apart in both the ageing and disability sectors.’’

The moves comes as The Benevolent Society transforms its workplace as it is now the operator of Australia’s largest provider of clinical services for people with a disability.

Read more: The Benevolent Society Grows to Become a Leader in Provision of Specialist Disability Community Support 

The charity is in the process of transitioning the Disability Community Support Teams from the NSW Government’s Department of Family and Community Services (FACS) to the non-government sector.

Ms Toohey said joining together with DCS will see The Benevolent Society grow in terms of both staff and clients, and expand its’ reach and impact on client service.

As a result, the organisation is expanding the number of workplace sites and consolidating property across NSW.

In addition to premises on the UOW Innovation Campus, The Benevolent Society will also have a site at Western Sydney University campus in Kingswood.