Foster Carers needed….

Ever thought about becoming a Foster Carer? Now might be the time to do so.

The Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare (the Centre) and the Victorian Minister for Community Services, the Hon. Lisa Neville, launched a new, state-wide foster care recruitment campaign to address Victoria’s shortfall of 1,000 foster carers.

In Victoria alone, there are over 5000 children who are , through no fault of their own, unable to live safely at home and with the growing numbers of children in need of foster care, about 1000 more foster carers are needed to meet demand.

“The current shortage of foster carers means that some of Victoria’s most vulnerable children are missing out on a safe home in foster care.“

While people may consider becoming foster carers, many are discouraged from taking the next step and enquiring because they have a range of misperceptions about foster care. Anyone over the age of 21 years and who can offer a child in need a secure, loving home is eligible to become a foster carer.

“Foster carers are ordinary people from all walks of life, backgrounds, ages and experiences.”

For more information about becoming a foster carer, check out:

• www.fosterabrighterfuture.com.au
• Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare
• Foster Care Association of Victoria (FCAV)
• Foster Care Victoria blog
• Australian Foster Care Associate (AFCA)

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Connecting young people

There are approximately 450,000 young  Australians living with serious illnesses, chronic health conditions and disabilities. These conditions often impact their every day lives and quite often leads to absences from school, sport and other social activities making them feel isolated and lonely.

Livewire is a new online community, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Starlight Children’s Foundation and the first service of it’s kind in Australia, created to connect and support these young people.

Livewire is completely unique from Facebook and MySpace because the content on the site is specifically tailored to the needs and ability of its users. Teenagers who have a serious illness, chronic condition or disability want the same features that other young people use (like blogs, music, games, entertainment) but the interactive features of the site such as chat and messaging has been a huge drawing card because it gives these children the chance to make friends and talk about the things that make them laugh, that worry them and how they’re feeling. Chat rooms are also supervised by trained moderators.

Livewire on Wheels, a bedside access program, has already rolled out at Canberra Hospital and The Sydney Children’s Hospital at Randwick. Throughout 2009, the program will aim to target an additional seven hospitals right throughout Australia, including The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children in Perth, Mater Hospital in Brisbane, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, and Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.

Livewire is safe and secure. The site is supported by the Australian Federal Police and applicants need to verify a number of details pertaining to their condition and go through a screening process before they can join, which includes the need for parental consent.

Any young Australian aged over 10 and under 21, who is currently living with a serious illness, chronic health condition or disability who wishes to join Livewire or find out more information should visit www.livewire.org.au or contact member.services@livewire.org.au.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Dig deep for the bush fire victims

Victorian residents are battling the worst bush fire Australia has ever seen. At this time, 65 people have been confirmed dead and over 700 homes have been totally destroyed.

Victorian Premier John Brumby has set up an appeal together with the Australian Red Cross and the Federal Government.

PLEASE, dig deep and help the victims of the bush fires. A lot of these people have nothing left except the clothes on their backs.

You can make a secure donation on the Australian Red Cross website or you can call 1800 811 700.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Operation Christmas Child

So a few of us gotten on the 101 things in 1001 days bandwagon and one of the goals that a few, in particular Chris and Felicity, have in common is making a Christmas shoebox.

Of course, I had to have a look to see what it was all about and learned:

“Operation Christmas Child is a unique project of Samaritan’s Purse that brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes.
It provides an opportunity for people of all ages to be involved in a simple but hands-on project that has the power to transform children’s lives.
In 2007, our teams in Australia and New Zealand delivered over 300,000 gift-filled shoe boxes to South East Asia and the South Pacific. Globally, Samaritan’s Purse distributed an estimated 7.6 million shoe boxes to children Samaritan’s in 105 countries.
As each shoe box gift is delivered, it is treasured by the child that receives it, and is a lasting reminder that he or she is precious to God.”

I’ve always wanted to sponsor a child but unfortunately our financial situation hasn’t allowed me to do so. But this seems like a great idea and the $8 donation won’t break the bank!

I encourage others living in Australia and New Zealand to participate and know that you’re helping the children.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Pink AND butterflies!

I was browsing the National Breast Cancer Foundation shop and found this really cute t-shirt with my favourite things – the colour PINK and butterflies!

I’m even happier that it comes in plus sizes too!

Thanks, Megan for mentioning the site

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!