The Inter Agency Committee for Children and Families (IAC) is excited to announce Nicola Paugh as its first fulltime Programme Coordinator.

With the help of IAC members and sub-committee groups, Nicola will be responsible for driving IAC’s training, advocacy and collaborative strategies that will support agency members ability to effectively respond to the needs of children and families in Bermuda.

IAC was founded in 1996 to bring together public, private and non-profit organizations providing helping services to children and families for the purpose of building collaboration and shared standards. Since then IAC has evolved into a vibrant network for agencies seeking to enrich services and address critical community needs.

In 2014 IAC established its Children’s Agenda of Priorities, a platform to advocate for the critical needs and rights of Bermuda’s children and families. The Agenda is based on The Assessment of the Situation of Children and Families in Bermuda, an extensive research project conducted by IAC’s Advocacy Subcommittee. This Agenda is now the foundation of IAC’s work.

Nicola joined the IAC in September 2019, after serving as a Member of the Executive Committee since 2017 and of the Advocacy Subcommittee since 2013. Prior to joining the IAC, Nicola worked in public, private and non-profit sectors locally and overseas. Nicola has a doctorate in Public Policy and Administration, with a research focus on the role of personal development in maximizing human service provision.

She has also served on a number of committees and Boards, including the Spending and Government Efficiency (SAGE) Committee and the Government of Bermuda’s Interagency Gang Community Response (IGCR) Committee.

In 2011, Nicola was selected as one of 100 women honored by the Government of Bermuda’s “100 Women, 100 Visions” initiative.

With its first fulltime resource in place, IAC is well positioned to lead and engage its network to advance policies, best practices and collaborative strategies that result in better outcomes for children and families.

IAC will continue its vital role in helping agencies to be better providers and stronger advocates. With its increased capacity, IAC will have greater ability to support and strengthen Bermuda’s human service professionals.

Nicola Paugh commented, “It has been a busy and exciting few months since I started fulltime with IAC. We have an important agenda planned for 2020 to provider stronger support and greater voice to Bermuda’s human service providers. I believe strongly in the need for children in our community to receive the best standard of care that can help them to flourish. I am humbled by the privilege to serve and support the agencies and professionals who are committed to helping Bermuda’s children and families.”

Immediate Past Chair, Martha Dismont, commented: “One of my last responsibilities before I stepped down as Chair of IAC, was to ensure their was a full-time driver and facilitator of initiatives, which should ultimately help to ensure that agency members are given the best chance to lead successful organizations. Our members had shared that more support and follow through on initiatives was needed, and we knew it was important to secure someone in a position as a “driver” of our initiatives. Nicola demonstrated the understanding of the issues, the passion for helping agencies, and familiarity with IAC. We believe she brings just the right combination of skill, expertise and passion to the position. We are excited about IAC’s future with her in the ‘driver’s seat’.”

To learn more about IAC or enquire about becoming an IAC member, contact Nicola.iac@prevention.bm