Mission Statement

Our Vision

Our vision is to see children and families reaching their full potential.

Our Purpose

Our purpose at Silky Oaks is to enable children and families to reach their full potential by providing within a caring, supportive, Christian environment, a comprehensive range of high quality residential and community services, thus ensuring that children and their families are protected, nurtured and empowered to build better lives.

Silky Oaks is a ‘not for profit’ organisation and relies upon Government funding assistance and donations from private organisations, community groups, churches and individuals. Silky Oaks also raises funds through the Opp Shop which operates from our premises at Manly and events such as monthly Car Boot Sales and Fashion Parade morning teas.

Our Values

Care and Safety - We are dedicated to the safety and well-being of children and families by providing an environment that is caring, safe and protected.

Quality - We have an uncompromising commitment throughout the organisation to deliver client services that consistently exceed community expectations through our quality management systems and procedures which foster a learning culture and reflect best practice.

Respect for Others - As a Christian organisation, we have committed to Jesus' second great commandment which is to "love your neighbour as yourself". We respect others by recognising cultural diversity, accepting them as individuals and treating them as they have a right to be treated.

Ethics, Honesty & Integrity - We operate in a responsible, ethical manner and display honesty and integrity in our dealings with all of our stakeholders including clients, suppliers, employees, government and non-government agencies.

Stewardship & Accountability - We take responsibility for managing all of the resources entrusted to us, including people and financial, in a manner that maximises positive outcomes from all our services. We communicate with our stakeholders in a manner that is open, timely, appropriate, accurate and informative.

Our Philosophy

Silky Oaks is based on the beliefs of the Christian faith and the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ and is sponsored by the Christian Brethren churches. Silky Oaks enacts these tenets through a multiservice organisation providing a broad range of individual and family oriented services within a supportive community context. Silky Oaks encourages a dynamic interchange between the organisation and the community. As a result, Silky Oaks emphasises flexibility and innovation of program implementation to ensure that it remains responsive to community needs without sacrificing excellence.

Principles of equity, support, belonging, trust, rspect and acceptance underpin the professional implementation of programs and shape the interactions and relationships between staff and clients. These principles are put into practice within an holistic framework of intervention that strives not to compartmentalise a person, but to work with clients on complex and interrelated needs.

Above all, Silky Oaks views individuals, families and community members as the community's most valuable asset, and through supporting this membership, believes it is contributing to the betterment of the community as a whole.

Our History

Silky Oaks was initially born in the heart of a retired missionary, Miss Betty Cornell, who was concerned for children in Queensland who didn’t have a supportive home environment. Her conviction was put into action and the original Children’s Home was set up in the Brisbane suburb of Toowong in August 1940.