News Archives - Page 2 of 13 - Barnardos Australia

The Peter Pan Committee raised over $160,000 for Beyond Barbed Wire

Posted on September 27, 2024September 30, 2024 by Barnardos

The Peter Pan Committee raised over $160,000 for The Beyond Barbed Wire Program!

The Literary Lunch was a great success with guests given the opportunity to listen to the talented playwright, screenwriter and novelist, Suzie Miller is a fierce advocate of rehabilitative incarceration and breaking the cycle of disadvantage.

The lunch was hosted once again by investigative journalist, Kate McClymont AM, who interviewed Eliza Gibbs, Barnardos Western NSW Program Manager, and Dr Rosemaria Flaherty, Barnardos Executive Leader of Child and Family and Support. Both guest speakers provided pertinent insights into the chronic shortage of social housing and its devastating consequences, along with the program’s successful outcomes, including a third of the reincarnation rate compared to the national statistic.

A big thank you to the Peter Pan Committee and their supporters for their ongoing support of the Beyond Barbed Wire program. Thank you for being Champions for Children.

R U Ok Day

Posted on September 13, 2024September 30, 2024 by Barnardos

This R U OK? Day, we remember that a simple conversation can change a life—ask R U OK? any day. At Barnardos, we marked the day with a ‘share a lunch plate’ at our head office. There’s nothing like food to bring people together and sharing a meal allows us all to connect on a more personal level. Prior to lunch, in recognition of the importance of RUOK? Day and this year’s theme “Ask RUOK? Any Day”, we were glad to hear from our Executive Leader for Children & Families Dr Rosa Flaherty. Every day is a good day to ask, “R U OK?” By checking in on those around us, we can make a real difference.

Child Protection Week – Cumberland Interagency Big Breakfast

Posted on September 11, 2024September 11, 2024 by Marie Reynolds

Thanks to Child, Youth & Family Services (CYFS) and Family Connect Support (FCS) Auburn for providing merchandise and facilitating activities at Guildford Public School that centred around this year’s important theme: “Conversations Matter.”

Young participants engaged in meaningful conversations about safety and emotions with our Trusted Adults activity sheets, featuring fun templates. They learned to identify 5 trusted adults they can turn to when worried or scared, all while decorating their own creations.

Children also engaged with our emotion posters, identifying various emotions, how to navigate challenging conversations and discussing who to turn to for assistance and how to seek help.

Together, we empowered our future generation to connect, share, and seek support.

Barnardos wear Red for National FASD Awareness Month

Posted on September 9, 2024September 10, 2024 by Marie Reynolds

Barnardos workers at Warrawong will be wearing red shoes on September 9 as part of the Red Shoes Rock campaign to mark International FASD Awareness Day.

FASD stands for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. It is a lifelong disability that affects the brain and body of people who were exposed to alcohol during fetal development (pregnancy). FASD Day is held on the 9th day of the 9th month to highlight the importance of going alcohol-free during the full 9 months of pregnancy.

FASD shows itself differently for each person, but signs of FASD can include difficulty regulating emotions, sleep disorders, impulsive or risk-taking behaviours, learning difficulties, problems with language, memory, attention and reasoning, challenges understanding and learning from past mistakes or consequences and difficulty making and keeping friends.

Red Shoes Rock is a global awareness campaign giving voice and support to people affected by prenatal alcohol exposure. We’re encouraging Australians to wear red shoes or red socks throughout the month, to spark conversations and create understanding about this largely invisible and preventable disability.

Despite being one of Australia’s most frequent neurodevelopmental disabilities (impacting more people than Autism, Cerebral Palsy, and Down Syndrome combined), FASD is often overlooked by community members and leaders alike. This campaign hopes to shine light on this hidden disability and promote action to address it.

Maria Corsiglia, South Coast Children’s Centre Manager explains “FASD is a complex health and social issue. Everyone has to play a part in advocating for and making change to support people with FASD and healthy pregnancies. Barnardos is proud to lead the charge.”

Maria adds “No alcohol is safest during pregnancy. If you’re pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or at risk for an unplanned pregnancy, experts recommend you go alcohol free.”

Barnardos is proud to be a long-standing provider of substance use in pregnancy services in the Wollongong region, providing non-judgemental and impactful support for pregnant woman. We encourage pregnant women who would like support to reach out to support services who can help.

Interview with Dr Rosa O’Flaherty, Executive Leader of Child and Family and Support, Barnardos South Coast. ABC Illawarra • Nick Rheinberger • FM Radio • 09 Sep 2024, 10:08 am

Mornings at 10:08 a.m. – Isentia (mediaportal.com)

Barnardos wear Red for National-FASD Awareness Month

Central Coast Kids Day Out

Posted on August 7, 2024August 7, 2024 by Marie Reynolds

The Central Coast Carer Recruitment and Intake Team took part in the annual ‘Central Coast Kids Day Out’ last Sunday for a great community day and opportunity to spruik Barnardos and the great work we do with children and families, as well as talking to community about the need for foster carers.

The theme ‘Shining Brightly’ ‘Healthy Minds + Strong Bodies + Resilient Kids = Happy Families’ reached many families, in a fun-filled, family focused day. Our Airbrush Temporary Tattoos and coloured hairspray were a great hit with the children as well as some of the adults. 😊 We received lots of comments about our Barnardos Green stall and how well we stood out in the crowd.

We would like to thank everyone who participated and contributed in making it such a great day of sharing and raising awareness of Barnardos in our local community.

We’ll be back at this event again next year.

Celebrating NAIDOC Week

Posted on July 25, 2024July 25, 2024 by Barnardos

In celebration of NAIDOC Week we came together to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

This year’s theme Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud – honours the enduring strength and vitality of First Nations culture – with fire a symbol of connection to Country, to each other, and to the rich tapestry of traditions that define Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Staff Spotlight: Meet Sue

Posted on July 24, 2024 by Marie Reynolds

Hi, I’m Sue and I started at Barnardos in 1996 as a casual admin support. I was made permanent part time in Shellharbour arcade working alongside Kerry Moore, Jan Williams, Maria Corsiglia, Sarah Beale, Patricia Sirons, Margaret Wikie. We then moved to the South Coast Children’s Centre where I have been in my current role, Manager Program Support since 2014.

The most rewarding thing about working at Barnardos is that I love supporting everyone: clients, carers, children and our staff. I see all of it, the good and the bad. But I also see when our families turn the corner, the changes, the good outcomes. It’s just the best to see the incredible outcomes that we achieved and how hard the staff work alongside families. I love seeing the changes in children as they grow and heal. As an admin worker, I get to see it all. It is all about smiling, saying “Hello, how can I help?” to everyone!

Here in the South Coast Children’s Family Centre, we are one big community, a second family, my second family. Before coming to Barnardos, I worked in aged care as a nurse’s aide on the Central Coast and then I was busy being a mum, bringing up two boys. As a child who was born in England, I always wanted to travel around the world. I went to the 2006 World Cup in Germany with three other families and that was a great experience. I always wanted to have children and a family, and I did that. I didn’t expect the rollercoaster which was when my first son was born premature at 26 weeks in 1983. Fortunately, today he is a healthy strong man, but at the time that was very challenging.

In the whole 29 years with Barnardos, I have seen different systems come and the change is good. Barnardos has always been open to change and able to adapt to be at the top and I love how innovative the organisation is. During my time with Barnardos I have made significant lifetime friendships, people come and go but some of the amazing women I have met will remain in my life forever. The support, the encouragement, the opportunity to grow are what keep me here, they are the reasons why I have been with Barnardos for 29 years.

We need your help to get a new bus

Posted on June 27, 2024 by Marie Reynolds

Make your End of Financial Year donation count and help us drive children to their brightest future!

Donate to the Yurungai bus appeal here.

A huge thanks to Australian Mutuals Foundation for supporting the launch of our Yurungai bus appeal, with a generous $50,000 donation!

The Yurungai Learning Centre supports children with a nutritious after-school meal, literacy, numeracy and homework support, as well as cultural activities. Without supervised transport, many children would not have the means to attend the Learning Centre, or take part in associated educational visits, cultural excursions, and sporting events.

Building Confidence: Christian’s Story of Transformation

Posted on June 26, 2024August 12, 2024 by Barnardos

Feeling anxious and lost in the crowd, Christian* was struggling to engage at school. He found it hard to concentrate, would sit alone at lunch and often refused to go to class. Sadly, his little world had been turned upside down after experiencing family violence and neglect.

Christian was referred to our mentoring program last year to help with his delayed learning due to long-term absence from school and his traumatic start to life. With support from his dad and his school psychologist, we created a circle of trust for Christian where he could receive the support he needed to thrive – and simply enjoy being a kid.

We matched Christian with a kind and patient volunteer mentor to help with his schoolwork and provide him with emotional support. Christian was very keen to join our mentoring program in the hope that it would make his time at school a little easier and less stressful.

Fast forward 10 months and Christian is flourishing! His mentor visits each week for 1 ½ hours and they go through any specific homework he may have, such as spelling, pronunciation, and sight words that the teacher sends home. Christian’s reading has significantly improved, and he has become more confident in tackling math problems. Christian has reported that he gets along well with his mentor and likes doing the sessions with him. He said that he “feels a little more comfortable at school reading in class.”

His mentor has been making the sessions fun and interesting, using games and activities to develop trust and friendship with Christian. He has also found that breaking up the schoolwork helps with Christian’s focus, so they spend some time playing outside.

Our mentoring program has also provided Christian with a Chromebook so he can access the internet and online schoolwork from home. This has been extremely positive, and his mentor has said that they use the Chromebook at every session.

We are so proud of Christian and the progress he has made on his path to healing. Together with his mentor, they are hoping to increase the number of days that they meet so Christian can continue to develop his love of learning and possess the tools to reach his full potential at school.

*Names changed to protect privacy

CEO Deirdre Cheers on what the NSW Budget means for children

Posted on June 21, 2024July 3, 2024 by Barnardos

Earlier this week, the NSW Government delivered the budget for the forthcoming financial year with housing as the centrepiece. You can read our organisational statement below or on LinkedIn here and watch CEO Deirdre Cheers’s statement video.

Category: News