Overview: about the agency

Our strategic focus

Our Purpose

Making a difference so South Australia thrives.

Our Vision

Fairness, opportunity and choice for all South Australians.

Our Values

The Department embraces the public sector values of:

• Service
• Professionalism
• Trust
• Respect
• Collaboration and engagement
• Honesty and integrity
• Courage and tenacity
• Sustainability.

Our functions, objectives and deliverables

The department's interconnected strategic priorities are:

• Increasing inclusion, independence and shared decision-making for all.
• Supporting our communities when it matters most.
• Delivering modern services for our communities.

The department is responsible for commissioning human services across the not-for-profit sector, and investing in the community through grants and funding. We provide core services including:

• adult safeguarding
• cost of living concessions and rebates
• disability services
• employment-related screening
• family safety and support
• homelessness services
• youth justice.

We also lead important government reforms in:

• disability inclusion
• intensive family support services
• supporting South Australians to age well
• women’s equality and safety.

Our services span South Australia, from Kaurna Country in Adelaide to the many regional communities that make up the state. This includes working alongside communities in the far west and Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in the north-west.

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Our organisational structure

Organisational chart in plain text

This organisational chart reflects the structure of the department as at 30 June 2025. The current chart is available on the DHS website.

Changes to the agency

During 2024-25 there were the following changes to the agency’s structure and objectives as a result of internal reviews or machinery of government changes.

• As a result of administrative arrangements outlined in the South Australian Government Gazette dated 27 June 2024, there were two machinery of government changes where functions and staff transferred to DHS effective from 1 July 2024. These were:
• Office for Ageing Well from the Department for Health and Wellbeing, which was transferred into the then Inclusion, Support and Safeguarding division.
• Homelessness Services from the South Australian Housing Trust, which was integrated into the Community and Aboriginal Partnerships division and renamed Homelessness Systems and Partnerships.
• In October 2024, the Office for Problem Gambling was renamed Gambling Harm Support SA as part of Gambling Harm Action Week. The new name reinforces the public health approach now being taken that considers the impact gambling harm can have on the entire community, not just individuals who gamble.
• In early 2025, an organisational re-alignment was announced in response to the changing needs of the community and priorities of the Government. The restructure resulted in the following changes commencing on 7 April 2025:
• The Deputy Chief Executive leading the reformed Equity and Social Impact division, which includes Community and Partnerships, Social Policy, Evaluation and Reform and the Office for Women.
• Disability Policy and Reform, Office for Ageing Well and the Restrictive Practices Unit being brought together into the new Ageing, Disability Policy and Safeguarding division, which will allow a more joined up approach to safeguarding within the department.
• The establishment of the new Disability and Specialised Services division, which will focus on operational delivery to clients in the NDIS, aged care and broader community. The Exceptional Needs Unit now forms part of this new division, while the Inclusion Support Program remains in Community and Aboriginal Partnerships.
• Finance and Business Services being joined by Concessions and Interpreting Services to create the Finance, Digital and Customer Support division. The division elevates focus on digital transformation.
• People and Partnerships and Organisational Development and Learning being joined by Screening and a new Legal Policy unit in the newly named Workforce Development and Integrity division.

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Our Ministers

Our Ministers as at 30 June 2025:

Hon Nat Cook MP

Minister for Human Services

Minister for Seniors and Ageing Well

Hon Katrine Hildyard MP

Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence

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Our Executive team

DHS Executive Leadership Team as at 30 June 2025:

Sandy Pitcher, Chief Executive

Appointed in November 2022, the Chief Executive is responsible for the effective management of the department and the general conduct of its employees. The Chief Executive is also accountable to the department’s Ministers for the delivery of election commitments allocated to the agency and the achievement of whole-of-government and agency specific priorities.

Ruth Ambler, Deputy Chief Executive

The Deputy Chief Executive is responsible for the Equity and Social Impact division which is comprised of:

• Community and Partnerships, which delivers funding and programs that support the capacity and wellbeing of communities including Grants SA, Financial Wellbeing Program, Community Connections Program, Community Passenger Network, Carer Breaks and Young Carer Support Services, Gambling Harm Support SA (previously the Office for Problem Gambling), Youth Support and Development, Services to Aboriginal Youth, Community and Neighbourhood Development Program, Advocacy and Impact Program, Bfriend Program for young LGBTIQA+ people and food security initiatives.
• Social Policy, Evaluation and Reform, which brings together the policy and reform expertise from functions across the department to ensure DHS can provide the best possible services and programs for South Australians including youth, carers, volunteers and LGBTIQA+ people.
• The Office for Women, which works across government and the community to improve women’s participation in leadership, decision-making and women’s economic empowerment. The Office has a strong focus on addressing domestic, family and sexual violence and provides statewide information and referral services through the Women’s Information Service and executive support to the Premier’s Council for Women.

Nick Ashley, Chief Financial Officer, Finance, Digital and Customer Support

The Finance, Digital and Customer Support division is comprised of:

• Digital, Data and Technology, which is responsible for the provision of information management, systems, data and technology to support the department and the services it provides.
• Concessions and Interpreting Services, which delivers a range of concessions and rebates that assist South Australian households on low or fixed incomes with cost-of-living pressures. It is also responsible for the operation of the Interpreting and Translating Centre, which includes the Aboriginal Language Interpreting Service.
• Finance, which is responsible for the provision of strategic financial advice, budgeting, management accounting, monitoring and reporting, the execution of a range of financial authorisations, and ensuring compliance with departmental and Treasury policies and frameworks.
• Infrastructure, which provides a range of asset-related services including asset and building management, security services, records management, fleet and transport management and mail services.
• Procurement and Quality Assurance, which supports all areas of the department to manage the procurement of goods and services and is responsible for the delivery of the Australian Service Excellence Standards to support organisations improve their business practices and client services.
• Screening Transformation, which is leading a major program of work to reform the processes and systems of the Screening Unit to improve the provision of screening checks for workers and volunteers across South Australia.

Sally Nicholas, Executive Director, Workforce Development and Integrity

Workforce Development and Integrity is comprised of:

• Legal Policy, which leads the response to complex legal and misconduct matters with integrity and transparency, oversees strategic policy development, and ensures legal frameworks remain current and aligned with government priorities. Additionally, it drives organisational improvement through performance monitoring, capacity-building initiatives, and fostering a culture of ethical governance and continuous improvement.
• People and Partnerships, which partner with departmental leaders to provide efficient, solution-focused, and innovative people services that support the provision of responsive and effective services to improve the wellbeing and safety of South Australians.
• Organisational Development and Learning, which provides expertise and services in individual and organisational learning, development and recruitment to build leadership capability and champion workforce strategies and initiatives.
• Screening, which conducts initial screening and ongoing monitoring and background checks of specific workers and volunteers in South Australia, contributing to safe environments for children and other vulnerable people in the community.

Joe Young, Executive Director, Ageing, Disability Policy and Safeguarding

The Ageing, Disability Policy and Safeguarding division provides services and support to South Australians in need and is comprised of:

• Disability Policy and Reform, which is responsible for leading the state’s involvement in the national disability reform program and providing strategic leadership across the State Government to drive the South Australian disability inclusion and policy agenda. It is also responsible for ensuring we meet our obligations under Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031, the State Disability Inclusion Plan and the SA Autism Strategy 2024-2029, and for coordinating the state’s response to the NDIS Review and the Disability Royal Commission.
• Office for Ageing Well, which takes the lead on state ageing policy to safeguard the rights of older South Australians and supports them to live and age well. The Office comprises four business units that deliver functions under the Ageing and Adult Safeguarding Act 1995, Retirement Villages Act 2016, South Australia’s Plan for Ageing Well 2020-2025, and a range of related strategic policies, projects, grants and initiatives.
• Restrictive Practices Unit, which is responsible for administering the South Australian Restrictive Practices Authorisation Scheme that provides for the proper authorisation, monitoring and reporting of restrictive practices in NDIS services for NDIS participants.

Kirsty Delguste, Executive Director, Disability and Specialised Services

The Disability and Specialised Services division is comprised of:

• Disability Services, which provides direct care and support services to people with disability living in community-based group homes and includes:
• Disability Community Services, which provides home and living supports to people with disability at home and in the community through a range of disability and aged care funding packages, including the NDIS.
• Projects and Business Support, which provides strategic support to Disability Services including the intake of new clients to the service, the rostering of client supports, billing and claiming, and service agreements.
• Quality and Clinical Services, which supports high-quality service delivery and compliance with quality frameworks and NDIS requirements. The team is also responsible for the delivery of a range of allied health and clinical services to support clients to lead their best life, at home and in the community. It also incorporates medium term accommodation (Transition to Home Program (T2H)) and the Northgate Aged Care Service.
• The Exceptional Needs Unit, which seeks to improve the lives of the most vulnerable South Australians by working with service providers to address gaps in support.

Alex Reid, Executive Director, Community and Aboriginal Partnerships

Community and Aboriginal Partnerships provides support and services to children, young people and families, including those in contact with the youth justice system and remote Aboriginal communities. The division is made up of:

• Aboriginal Practice and Partnerships, which is responsible for coordinating activities that aim to improve outcomes for Aboriginal clients, their families and communities. This includes collaborating with departmental leaders to drive strategy and service design focused on building culturally led and responsive services.
• Closing the Gap Policy and Transformation, which provides strategic policy advice and drives the transformational change required to implement the National Agreement on Closing the Gap within DHS and ultimately improve life outcomes for Aboriginal peoples, their families and communities.
• Homelessness Systems and Partnerships, which is responsible for strategic oversight and commissioning of the specialist homelessness sector who provide support to individuals and families experiencing, or at risk of experiencing homelessness. It is also responsible for management of homelessness information and data systems and the extreme weather response.
• Remote and Regional Service Development, which works collaboratively with services and communities to plan, develop and implement community responses to improve outcomes for Aboriginal clients and communities in South Australia. Responses include assertive outreach in public areas and tenancies, Return to Country, connecting people to other services, and service collaboration.
• Youth Justice and Inclusion Support, which is responsible for the statutory supervision of young people in contact with the justice system, including the management of the Kurlana Tapa Youth Justice Centre and community based supervision and support. The directorate is also responsible for the Inclusion Support Program, which oversees South Australia’s countering violent extremism interventions and community awareness, and the African Community Response pilot program, which supports young people from African communities in contact, or at risk of contact, with the justice system.

Katherine Hawkins, Executive Director, Child and Family Support

The Child and Family Support division delivers a range of services, policies and programs to support families to stay safely together at home in community and culture. The division is made up of:

• Safer Family Services, which provides a range of early intervention, parenting capacity building and intensive family support services under the Child and Family Support System (CFSS). Collectively, these programs and services aim to help children stay safe and well in their family, community and culture and avoid the need for out-of-home care.
• Pathways, Evidence and Partnerships, which is responsible for developing a learning system that takes an epidemiological approach to understanding population needs and complexities and what can work best in prevention and early intervention programs to support families. This, coupled with delivering effective service access pathways and a relational model of contract management, is growing the system responsiveness and evidence base on how to best support families with the right service at the right time.
• System Stewardship, which provides strategic oversight of the CFSS, driving long term systemic change to better support children and young people. It achieves this through the integration of lived experience in service design, building system-wide cultural governance and quality practice guidance, facilitating sector communities of practice and co-design processes, and maintaining a trauma informed and responsive service system.

Belinda Marsden, Director, Office of the Chief Executive and Governance

The Office of the Chief Executive and Governance is responsible for a range of functions including correspondence and briefings, Cabinet coordination and Parliamentary business, corporate governance, the department’s internal audit function, risk management and business continuity. It also provides high quality and responsive advice and support to the Ministers Offices, Chief Executive and Deputy Chief Executive.

The Director of the Office of the Chief Executive and Governance also has administrative reporting responsibility for staff in the Office of the Minister for Human Services and Minister for Seniors and Ageing Well, the Community Visitor Scheme, and is also responsible for:

• Communications and Engagement, which provides advice and services across a range of areas including media management, internal and external communications and promotions, events, social media, and graphic and multimedia design.
• The Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence, which is responsible for providing the Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence with a coordinated, whole-of-government response from the South Australian Government.

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Legislation administered by the agency

The department has administrative responsibility for the following Acts committed to portfolio Ministers:

Minister for Human Services

Ageing and Adult Safeguarding Act 1995

Carers Recognition Act 2005

Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016

Children’s Protection Law Reform (Transitional Arrangements and Related Amendments) Act 2017

Cost of Living Concessions Act 1986

Disability Inclusion Act 2018

Disability Services Act 1993

Julia Farr Services (Trusts) Act 2007

Not-for-Profit Sector Freedom to Advocate Act 2013

Supported Residential Facilities Act 1992

Volunteers Protection Act 2001

Youth Justice Administration Act 2016

Minister for Seniors and Ageing Well

Aged Citizens Clubs (Subsidies) Act 1963

Retirement Villages Act 2016

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