PATHFINDERS’ Support Your Path (SYP) program has been recognised as one of Australia’s leading regional disability service providers after winning a national Enablement Award for the second consecutive year.
The team received the 2026 Enablement Award for Most Outstanding Regional Not-for-Profit Providing NDIS Services for Children, Youth and Families in Australia at the Enablement Awards ceremony in Sydney on 24 July.
The annual awards recognise excellence, innovation and achievement across the disability care sector in Australasia, celebrating organisations that improve outcomes and experiences for people living with disability.
Pathfinders Chief Executive Officer Alan Brennan said the back-to-back national recognition reflected the dedication of the Support Your Path team.
“Winning this national award for the second consecutive year is a wonderful acknowledgement of the dedication, compassion and professionalism of our Support Your Path team,” Mr Brennan said.
“Our staff work closely with participants, families and carers to provide personalised supports that reflect each person’s individual goals, choices and circumstances.
“This recognition belongs to the entire team, as well as the participants and families who place their trust in Pathfinders and allow us to be part of their journey.”
Support Your Path provides NDIS-funded disability services to around 200 participants across regional and rural New South Wales, including communities on the Mid North Coast and in the New England North West.
The program delivers support coordination, in-home and community supports, community participation, home and living supports and therapeutic services in Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, Taree, Armidale, Tamworth, Inverell and Glen Innes.
Pathfinders participant Kieran Smith said the award was well deserved.
“Pathfinders are the best support company in the whole entire Coffs Harbour region,” he said.
“SYP [has] good staff who are really encouraging and sometimes hilarious.
“I think they definitely deserved this award,” Mr Smith said.
Mr Brennan said the organisation’s approach focused on building independence rather than relying on traditional service models.
“What set Pathfinders and Support Your Path apart was our focus on looking beyond traditional models of disability support,” he said.
“Our approach combines individualised NDIS support with a strong focus on choice, independence, relationships, community connection and long-term capacity building.
“Our housing and support model is designed around the individual rather than simply fitting people into an existing service model.”
Mr Brennan said quality support was about creating opportunities for participants to achieve their own goals.
“We also recognise that good support is not just about delivering hours of service,” he said.
“It is about helping people build confidence, develop practical skills, participate in their community and have greater control over where they live, who supports them and what their future looks like.”
He said seeing participants succeed was the most rewarding part of the work.
“The best part of what we do is seeing people achieve things that they may previously have thought were out of reach.
“For some participants, that might be developing the confidence to go into the community independently, learning how to manage their home, developing employment skills or building positive relationships.
“Ultimately, our work is about creating opportunities rather than creating dependence.”
Mr Brennan said the recognition would encourage the organisation to continue developing innovative services for regional communities.
By Sis HIGGINS
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