Foster Care Victoria

A one-stop resource for parents and carers in the Eastern Region is now available online. The newsletters are produced each term and are packed with contacts to support groups, courses and many other events.

Highlights:

Music Together
For children 1-5 years old, encourages supportive, nurturing rleationships bewteen parents/ carers and children through music. Let by creative arts therapists across the region from Cantebury to Mooroolbark.
Details page 9.

 
The Raising Children Network
The need for a national parenting information website grew out of research into what parents, carers and practitioners working with parents require. The research showed that parents complain of information overload and simultaneously an inability to find trustworthy information in one place. The Raising Children Network website is a national, reliable, user-friendly resource.

Sections include:

• Parenting in picture – basic baby care
• Tools to encourage good behaviour – parenting skills
• My Neighbourhood – interactive map of helpful services.
• Recipes and meal ideas
• Working with Parents – for professionals

Details on page 3 or go directly to the Raising Children website.

Newsletter from other regions (Southern and Northern) are also available.

The Victorian State Home Based Care Conference upon us again on Saturday the 9th of May. “Being the Best” is this year’s theme, looking at best of everything; best carers, best supports, best theories, best practice…. Simply the best!

Go to the FCAV’s website for registrations, programs and to nominate for “Best Awards”.

The campaign launched last week continues to gather attention with the story also reported by the ABC.

At the same time there are strong calls for a significant structural changes in the way that Out of Home Care systems operate, especially in light of the expected launch of a national framework for Child Protection by the Federal Government. Read more in an article written by Coleen Clare, chief executive of the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare, published in The Age.

The Sydney Morning herald has published an article about a new parenting program which aims to prevent abuse and other causes of family breakdown. The research claims that the program also prevents the need for foster care.

The program has been implemented in a number of overseas countries and has recently been backed with funding from the NSW government.

The Medical Journal of Australia has posed the question: When does severe childhood obesity become a child protection issue?

Obviously childhood obesity is of growing concern but this is the first I’ve heard of obesity being linked to neglect and therefore a child protection issue.

Neglect in Victoria is a failure to provide the child or young person with an adequate standard of nutrition, medical care, clothing, shelter or supervision to the extent that the health and development of the child or young person are significantly impaired or placed at risk.

An interesting discussion on this topic was aired on Life Matters, Radio National. (Mp3 is also available for download from the RN site)

I’d be very interested to hear what you think on this issue so please feel free to leave comments and thoughts.