Life Without Barriers Home

About Us
Life Without Barriers is a national not-for-profit organisation working to support children and young people in crisis, people with a disability and those with a mental health issue.

Our organisation is a leading provider of care in Australia and is renowned for its flexibility, innovation and strong community focus.

Our History
We commenced operations in 1995 in Newcastle, NSW by a group of concerned people in the community who had a passion and vision to improve the quality of the lives of people living with a disability. They generated interest in the local community, proposing to create a new non-government, secular organisation to support people living with a disability. A board was formed and held regular meetings upstairs in Newcastle’s Delany Hotel…Life Without Barriers was born.

In early 1999, we were still a fledgling organisation, volunteers ran our services, we were funded mainly by donations, and we only had three full-time employees. In late 1999 our current Chief Executive Officer Ray Dunn joined the team. Through his passion and inspirational guidance we embarked on the next phase of our journey. We recruited more staff to deliver an enhanced and expanded range of disability programs, and applied for government funding for the first time.

From the start we pursued the philosophy that positive, healthy relationships are essential for people in care to feel safe and have an opportunity to improve their lives. We have always believed our clients should receive care within their community, not outside of it, and that the relationships around them should always come first.

Our Future
As part of our continuous improvement strategy, Life Without Barriers is developing new ways of assessing and managing the delivery of services to children and young people.

This involves the creation of a series of specialised programs to target specific areas of children’s and young people’s growth and development. These programs are designed to relate directly to an individual’s case plan and to assist them in achieving their goals

Our Values
Our organisation values meaningful, healthy relationships as the foundation of everything we practice. We strive to link the people in our care with all aspects of their local communities, including their culture, businesses and government.

We believe there is a community for everyone and our mission is to break down the barriers to life’s opportunities.

Our Heart
Carers are the heart of our organisation and are central to the success of the support we give our clients. Our carers come from a range of backgrounds and can provide a care in a variety of ways. We are committed to providing 24-hour support for our carers and help ensure they create a safe, caring environment for the person they are caring for.