Local women urged to apply for $20,000 scholarship

Local women working in law enforcement, care and protection or aiding victims of violence through professional support services are being urged to apply for a $20,000 scholarship to help develop their careers and hone their skills.

Minister for Women Joy Burch said the highly sought after annual Audrey Fagan Post Graduate Scholarship would allow the 2012 recipient to undertake post-graduate study in gendered research.

"They could use the money to study in a range of areas such as law enforcement, care and protection, allied health services or to delve further into the area of providing professional or social support in domestic violence cases," Ms Burch said.

"The $20,000 scholarship will truly allow the recipient the opportunity to gain new skills and knowledge which can be applied to her area of expertise."

Ms Burch said the 2011 recipient used the $20,000 scholarship to pursue a long-held dream.

"She put the scholarship money towards completing her Masters of Clinical Psychology and it enabled her to achieve her ultimate goal of becoming a child psychologist, specialising in the treatment of childhood trauma.

"The recipient, who can't be named because of her role as a child care and protection case-worker and crisis counsellor, said without the money it may have taken a lot more years to reach her goal and be able to help even more children."

The Audrey Fagan Scholarship Program was established in 2007 to honour former ACT Chief Police Audrey Fagan and her contribution to the promotion of women in public life.

To find out more about the program, or to download an application, log onto the ACT Office for Women website at www.women.act.gov.au or call 6205 0515. Applications close 17 February 2012.