Dena Blackman, founder of Dial-An-Angel, has been awarded Family Business Australia's Jason Lea Award, which recognises an individual with great entrepreneurial spirit and a commitment to excellence in family business best practice.

Judges also look at the contribution the person has made to their family businesses, their 'can do' attitude and passion for excellence.

Blackman founded Dial-An-Angel, Australia's only national agency specialising in home and family care, in 1967. It has since grown from being a one person business to one that has 11 office nationwide, four of which are franchises.

The company now employs about 50 full-time staff and has over 10,000 registered Angels. Services offered by Dial-An-Angel include domestic housekeeping and cleaning, child care, babysitting, in-home nursing, care of the frail and disabled and pet care.