Our Story

Littleroc Inc. was founded by Jolene Moore (maiden name Cotterill), whose professional experience and personal understanding of trauma, family complexity and community support shaped the organisation’s purpose and values.

This is the story of Littleroc, what its name represents and the future we are working to build.

Why Littleroc Was Created

Littleroc was not created from one single event. It grew from a lifetime of observing people, families and communities, and learning that every person carries a story that may not be visible to others.

I grew up surrounded by a very large extended family. There were grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and children from different branches of the family who regularly came together. From a young age, I noticed how different every person was. I saw kindness, humour, loyalty and love, but I also saw conflict, addiction, mental ill-health, family violence, judgment, grief and unresolved trauma.

As I grew older, I began to understand that the behaviours I had witnessed were often connected to experiences that had never been spoken about, acknowledged or properly supported.

I learned that people can be judged for the way they behave without anyone asking what happened to them.

I learned that someone can appear difficult, angry, unreliable or unwell while carrying pain that began many years earlier.

I learned that families may protect the memory or reputation of one person while another person’s experience is dismissed, silenced or left unresolved.

I also learned that trauma does not remain with one individual. It can affect relationships, parenting, mental health, substance use, safety, housing and the next generation of children.

Some members of my extended family lived with addiction or serious mental health challenges. Some experienced violence and abuse. Some struggled to maintain relationships with their children. Others carried anger, grief or shame for much of their lives.

I witnessed people being discussed, judged and labelled, often without their full story being understood. These experiences shaped one of the most important beliefs behind Littleroc:

People are more than the worst thing that has happened to them, and they are more than the worst decision they have made.

I have seen people whose lives were deeply affected by alcohol or other substances, but I have also seen the kindness, humour, intelligence and humanity that remained within them.

One of my uncles was a particularly important influence in my life. In his younger years, addiction contributed to instability, broken trust and damaged relationships. Later in life, however, I knew him as a kind, genuine and caring man.

He carried regret about the opportunities, relationships and family experiences he had lost. He loved his family, but he had never been shown how to be the father or family member he wanted to be. His past continued to affect him long after his substance use had changed.

His life taught me that recovery is not only about stopping a behaviour. It is also about rebuilding identity, trust, relationships, belonging and hope.

It taught me that people should not be permanently defined by an earlier chapter of their lives.

My parents also had a profound influence on the person I became.

They were loving, loyal, caring and community-minded people. They opened their home to young people who were struggling, including teenagers experiencing family breakdown, homelessness, mental health challenges, addiction, anger and instability.

They did not have a formal program or professional service around them. They simply believed that people needed somewhere safe, someone who cared and someone who would not give up on them.

My father spent many years coaching junior football, supporting local sport and operating a boxing gym. Through sport, discipline, encouragement and community connection, he helped young people build confidence and believe in themselves.

He is calm, kind, genuine and fiercely loyal. He treated people with respect and did not need recognition for helping others.

My mother shared those same values. She supported people practically and emotionally, including providing food, shelter, guidance and a safe place when they had nowhere else to go.

Together, my parents showed me that support is not always complicated. Sometimes it begins with opening a door, sharing a meal, listening without judgment and helping someone feel that they matter.

One young woman who became part of our lives had experienced childhood trauma, mental health challenges, addiction, family separation and domestic violence. She stayed with my

family for several months and spoke about feeling safe and cared for in our home.

She loved her children and hoped to one day rebuild her life and strengthen her relationship with them.

Sadly, after returning to an unsafe relationship, she lost her life to domestic violence.

Her story has remained with me. It reminds me that safety cannot be assumed simply because someone has left once, received a referral or temporarily engaged with a service.

Leaving violence can take time. Recovery can involve setbacks. People may disengage

when they are overwhelmed, frightened, ashamed or struggling with their mental health.

That does not mean they no longer need support. It means they may need to know that the door remains open and that they can return without judgment.

Over time, I came to understand that many systems respond to only one part of a person’ life.

A person may be referred to one service for domestic violence, another for mental health, another for addiction, another for housing and another for their children. They may be expected to repeat painful experiences to multiple workers while trying to manage crisis, fear, parenting, finances and daily survival.

When people disengage, services may close their case.

When they return, they may have to begin again.

Too often, no one remains beside the whole family for the full journey.

This is where the philosophy of Littleroc began.

Littleroc believes that people need more than referrals. They need connection, consistency, safety, practical support and someone who will continue to walk alongside them.

We understand that recovery is rarely a straight line.

A person may take steps forward and then struggle again.

They may leave and return to a relationship. They may engage with support and later withdraw.

They may experience relapse, fear, grief, anger or uncertainty.

These moments should not automatically be treated as failure.

They are often part of a much larger recovery journey.

Littleroc was created to provide a place where people can return, reconnect and continue moving forward.

We believe victim-survivors should be supported with safety, dignity and choice.

We believe children should be seen, heard and supported as individuals, not treated as an extension

of an adult’s case.

We believe people living with addiction should not be reduced to labels or judged only by their past.

We believe people experiencing mental health challenges deserve patience, understanding and

continued opportunities to engage. We believe people who have caused harm must be held accountable, while also being given access to appropriate support that may help prevent further harm.

We believe families need services that communicate and work together rather than leaving people to navigate every system alone.

Most importantly, we believe that every person has a history, and we cannot fully understand another human being unless they feel safe enough to share their story with us.

When someone places that trust in us, it is a privilege.

Their story must be held with dignity, care and respect.

That is what the name Littleroc represents to me.

It represents my parents, my family, the people I have loved, the people I have lost and the many individuals and families I have supported throughout my career.

It represents loyalty, compassion, honesty, safety, courage and community.

It represents the belief that people should not be abandoned because their journey is difficult.

Every employee, volunteer and representative of Littleroc will be expected to uphold these values.

We will not promise to fix every problem.

We will not tell people how they must heal.

We will listen, support, advocate, connect and remain present.

We will hold hope when people are struggling to hold it for themselves.

We will walk alongside them.

The Meaning Behind the Name

The name Littleroc reflects the strength, loyalty and community values that shaped my life.

My parents taught me that supporting people does not always begin with a formal service. Sometimes it begins with a safe place, a shared meal, practical help, honest guidance and someone who refuses to give up on another person.

My father’s involvement in junior rugby league, community sport and boxing demonstrated the power of encouragement, discipline, connection and positive role models. My mother showed the same commitment through the practical and emotional support she gave to young people and families experiencing hardship.

Their example taught me that strong communities are created when people look beyond judgment, recognise the humanity in others and remain present during difficult times.

Littleroc carries those values forward.

It represents strength without harshness, support without judgment and the belief that even small acts of care can become a foundation for lasting change.

Our Vision

Littleroc was established to create a connected, whole-family approach to safety, healing, recovery and wellbeing.

Our vision is for individuals, children and families to be able to access support before their circumstances reach crisis point and without having to navigate complex systems alone.

We aim to build an organisation that:

● supports individuals and families as a whole;

● recognises children as individuals with their own experiences and needs;

● provides genuine choice in how people engage with support;

● values professional, community-based and holistic approaches;

● strengthens early intervention and prevention;

● supports recovery from trauma, mental health challenges and addiction;

● promotes accountability, safety and positive change;

● works collaboratively with existing services and community organisations; and

● helps families build safer and stronger futures.

We understand that no single approach will work for everyone.

For some people, support may involve counselling, case coordination or specialist referrals. For

others, it may include mentoring, education, wellbeing activities, practical assistance, community connection or holistic approaches.

Our role is not to tell people how they must heal.

Our role is to listen, understand, provide meaningful choices and walk alongside them.

Looking Forward

As a newly established incorporated association, Littleroc is committed to building strong foundations and developing responsibly.

We will work collaboratively with local services, community organisations, sporting clubs, businesses, volunteers and people with lived experience.

Our priorities include developing safe and accessible programs, building referral and partnership pathways, strengthening early intervention and ensuring that our governance, policies and practices reflect the values we publicly represent.

As Littleroc grows, we will remain guided by the principles on which it was founded:

● dignity;

● safety;

● honesty;

● loyalty;

● compassion;

● accountability;

● inclusion;

● community; and

● hope.

We know that every person and every family has a different story.

We also know that lasting change can take time.

Littleroc will be a place where people can be heard, respected, supported and given the opportunity to reconnect with hope.

We Walk Alongside You

We will not define people by their trauma, their diagnosis, their addiction, their past or the most difficult chapter of their lives.

We will recognise their strengths, respect their choices and support them to identify the future they want for themselves and their families.

We will listen.

We will advocate.

We will connect.

We will remain present.

We Walk Alongside You.