Child and Youth Protection Services Have Established Positive Working Partnership With

Carer Connection Issue 42 April 2016

Dear Carers,

As you are aware, the transition of case management for kinship carers and foster carers to ACT Together is now well underway, and this transition will continue in stages through to June 2016. Marymead and ACT Together continue working to ensure a seamless transition process for Marymead foster carers and the children and young people in their care.

Child and Youth Protection Services have established positive working partnership with Uniting’s Children and Families ACT program which aim to prevent children from entering care and to support families through reunification, where possible.

In this newsletter you will find an article about a planned national survey seeking to gather information that will be used to improve the current support provided to foster and kinship carers. This survey is called “Working Together to Care for Kids” and will be run by the Australian Government, Department of Social Services (DSS) and The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS). Please see the article and read the letter that you will receive from OCYFS to ensure that you opt out if you do not wish to be contacted as part of this survey.

Previous Carer Connections have included information about the supports and services that carers can be access in the community, particularly through the Child and Family Centres. In this edition there is specific information on supports available in the ACT for Grandparent kinship carers.

If you have any queries about the transition to ACT Together please email [email protected] OR call Ernesta Richter on 6228 9500 (Barnardos). Alternatively you can contact Liz Phillips (Oz Child) on 9212 5600. Within the Office for Children Youth and Family Support you can email [email protected] or call Child and Youth Protection Services on (02) 6207 4544. The Carer Liaison Officer, Johanne Beirne remains available on 6205 8367 or at [email protected]

Bernadette Mitcherson Executive Director (Acting) 1 GPO Box 158, Canberra ACT 2601 e [email protected] t (02) 6205 8357 w www.act.gov.au/CBRstepsup Carer Connection Issue 42 April 2016

Uniting – New Services for Vulnerable Families

In January 2016, Uniting began delivering a range of brand new services to vulnerable families in the ACT which aim to prevent children from coming into care, or return them home as soon as it is safe to do so.

Uniting’s Children and Families ACT program, works with families for a period of 12 to 18 months, in their own homes, or in an alternative home-like environment. Referrals to the program are made through Child and Youth Protection Services.

Supports are tailored to the individual needs of the family and can focus on areas such as managing the home, building relationships and addressing mental health, drug and alcohol or domestic violence issues. Families may also be linked in with other community supports such as child and family centres, therapeutic services and Karralika (alcohol and other drug service).

For more information on Uniting’s Children and Families ACT program please contact Uniting on 02 9268 3870 or email [email protected].

Update on transition of foster and kinship carers to ACT Together

The transition of case management for kinship carers from Child and Youth Protection Services (CYPS) to ACT Together is continuing. Support for 107 kinship carers and 109 children and young people have successfully transitioned so far this year.

The transition of case management for foster carers from Marymead to ACT Together has commenced and will continue in stages through to June 2016. Marymead are working closely with ACT Together to make sure that the support that children and young people and carers receive is not disrupted through the transition process. Marymead have sent foster carers a letter and an information pack about the transition process and what they can expect from this.

For more information about the transition of foster and kinship carers to ACT Together, please contact Kate Buckmaster, Regional Manager of Out of Home Care at ACT Together via [email protected] or phone (02) 6228 9543. Alternatively, you can contact CYPS on (02) 62074544 or email [email protected].

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“Working Together to Care for Kids” – National Survey for Foster Carers and Kinship Carers

The Australian Government, Department of Social Services (DSS) and The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS), are undertaking a national survey of carers who look after children who are unable to live with their parents. This survey, called “Working Together to Care for Kids”, will consult with 2000 carers about their needs and experiences. Hearing from carers through a survey will provide a better understanding of the circumstances, needs, and experiences of foster and kinship carers. The information from this survey will be used to assist governments to improve support for foster and relative/kinship carers.

You will receive a letter this week from OCYFS with further information about how the survey will be carried out. If you do not wish to be involved in the survey you will be advised about how to opt out, which will mean that your contact details would not be passed on and you would not be invited to participate in the research.

If you do not opt out your contact details will be securely provided to the research company that will be conducting the survey on behalf of AIFS and DSS. Around 2,000 carers from across Australia will be randomly selected for interview so that they are broadly representative of all carers.

If you decide against having your details passed on, this will not change anything about your carer arrangements or the services you receive from Child and Youth Protection Services or any other organisation. If you agree to your details being forwarded, you may or may not be contacted.

Everyone who is telephoned by the research company will have the right to say they do not want to participate in the survey either before the interview begins or at any time during the interview, as participation is voluntary.

The research company is legally required to keep all information secure and will not use the information for any other purpose. It will not reveal the identity of carers to any other person, and no feedback or comments made by carers during an interview will ever be linked back to the carer who made them. No person or organisation will have any information that could personally identify the carers who are interviewed.

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Are you are Grandparent who is a kinship carer?

Kinship carers make up the majority of carers in the ACT and many of these are grandparents who care for their grandchildren. There are a range of services available to you as a grandparent and some of these services that are available to provide information and assistance are listed below:

ACT Playgroups Association can give you information and support about existing playgroups in your area, in the ACT and neighbouring parts of NSW. This can be a great opportunity to meet other carers or provide an opportunity for you to start your own playgroup. There is a specific Grandparents Playgroup that currently meets at the Australian Botanic Gardens at Acton on Thursday mornings and at Curtin on Friday mornings. These groups are open to grandparents who enjoy getting out and spending time with their grandchildren. Please contact [email protected] for more information about the Botanic Gardens playgroup and [email protected] for the Curtin group. Membership of Playgroup ACT will need to be sought after the first two free visits and more information about this and about playgroups in general and be found at www.playgroupaustralia.com.au/act or by calling 1800 171 882.

ParentLink is a free service which aims to increase the confidence and skills of parents and carers by supporting and linking them to information, ideas and community services. ParentLink Guides are easy to read and full of practical information and tips to manage parenting challenges including sibling rivalry, sleeping, blended families and grand-parenting. The guides have been developed from research in conjunction with appropriate experts and are widely used throughout Australia. For more information, please visit www.parentlink.act.gov.au or call 13 34 27.

Child and Family Centres are located in Gungahlin, Tuggeranong and Belconnen and can provide carers with a number of centre and community based programs. These include the paint and play outdoor playgroup for children up to 5 years, fussy eaters group, nutrition service, sleep and settling and the Cool Kids Worry Busters and Circus. Drop in parenting information is also available along with a variety of programs courses and groups that can assist carers in their caring role.

For more information please visit www.communityservices.act.gov.au/ocyfs/childandfamilycentres or contact your local centre on the following numbers: Gungahlin Child and Family Centre – (02) 6207 0120 Tuggeranong Child and Family Centre – (02) 6207 8228 West Belconnen Child and Family Centre – (02) 6205 2904

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