general
Twitter stream to 30-12-09
30/12/2009 23:25
Sometimes this could more readily be called a ‘Twitter trickle’, rather than a stream, but hey, there’s still some good stuff in here.
Sammut: Community needs to accept that children in danger need to be removed, and the earlier the better for the child. http://ow.ly/R368 2 minutes ago from HootSuite
Creation of a stand alone dept that investigates reports of children at risk sorely needed and long overdue. Top priority. 3 minutes ago from HootSuite
NSW Govt throwing additional $300 million into support services for dysfunctional families after Wood Royal Commission. http://ow.ly/R34e 5 minutes ago from HootSuite
Sammut says DOCS budget was 'in excess of $1 billion last financial year'. That's a lot of shekels. http://ow.ly/R32J 6 minutes ago from HootSuite
Perhaps more honesty is needed about the real chances of solving drug abuse, mental illness and domestic violence in dysfunctional families? 9 minutes ago from HootSuite
Removal of 'at risk' children as a last resort can be a high risk policy. See Ebony and Dean Shillingsworth cases: http://ow.ly/R30b 10 minutes ago from HootSuite
Sammut comes out and says that family preservation - the current approach in child protection - is flawed: http://ow.ly/R2ZA 11 minutes ago from HootSuite
Two dreadful cases this year of parental neglect that were fatal for the children: Jeremy Sammut in the SMH http://ow.ly/R2YL 12 minutes ago from HootSuite
'Ghost Child' (Caroline Overington) available from Dymocks http://ow.ly/PPG4. If you are interested in children's rights - worth reading. 10:47 PM Dec 26th from HootSuite
Just read Caroline Overington's Ghost Child. Fiction - but some interesting and authentic perspectives from players in 'the system'. 10:43 PM Dec 26th from HootSuite
Hate to break it to you folks, but more money ain't gonna fix the social welfare system: http://ow.ly/PPzT 10:39 PM Dec 26th from HootSuite
We are not sure how much one-on-one our lovely Happy Camper got in her first years. Not much we suspect. Can you catch up? A resounding YES! 11:52 PM Dec 22nd from HootSuite
We read all the 'can do' advice for birth parents. And we realise that our small bundle of humanity might have missed out on lots of that. 11:48 PM Dec 22nd from HootSuite
We are tired at the end of the year and so it is very easy to scoff at all the rubbish on Twitter. 3:03 AM Dec 21st from HootSuite
Parental responsibility? rt @kimota Just blogged: 18+ video games in Aus "Won't somebody think of the children?" http://bit.ly/5R52jX 2:31 PM Dec 16th from HootSuite
Wonderful to see a mother provide such a sterling example to her daughter - NOT. Kid bashes another and mother films it! http://ow.ly/I1dU 12:37 PM Dec 3rd from HootSuite
What do kids in care need? Stability. Our view on what that looks like and the benefits for a child in care http://ow.ly/HsQt 11:42 PM Dec 1st from HootSuite
Our view on Adoption Awareness week in Oz. Is adoption actively discouraged here? http://ow.ly/HsPo 11:40 PM Dec 1st from HootSuite
Children have expectations about daily life. Harder to handle for children in care are the expectations about birth parents. What to expect? 10:08 PM Nov 24th from HootSuite
When a child in care becomes more responsible and mature than the birth parent, what do you do? We can see this coming. http://ow.ly/CVmj 1:33 PM Nov 17th from HootSuite
Awesome post from fostercareinamerica - honest, practical, insightful. A must read. http://ow.ly/CVlS 1:32 PM Nov 17th from HootSuite
Interesting reader responses on News.com.au to Adoption Awareness Week report. Everyone has an opinion! http://ow.ly/CTh9 10:27 AM Nov 17th from HootSuite
@emqff Nationaladoptionweek is happening in the UK as well. http://ow.ly/CCM0 4:33 PM Nov 16th from HootSuite in reply to emqff
Furness calls on Government to create 'a dedicated agency with a parliamentary secretary to oversee the adoption process' http://ow.ly/CC7F 3:50 PM Nov 16th from HootSuite
Deborah-Lee Furness comes out fighting on Oz Govt's 'anti-adoption culture' http://ow.ly/CC66 3:48 PM Nov 16th from HootSuite
Adoption is viable solution for 'children stuck in foster care drift'. And to prevent kids drifting into foster care drift http://ow.ly/CC54 3:47 PM Nov 16th from HootSuite
It's National Adoption Awareness Week. There is a perception that Oz is reluctant to advocate adoption. http://ow.ly/CC3Y 3:46 PM Nov 16th from HootSuite
@jcflamini Agree - re @childrensrights. Lots of solid info in their report. Want to write more on it! 7:06 PM Nov 13th from HootSuite in reply to jcflamini
Really like this report from @childrensrights on NYC foster care, and the effort to bring kids to permanent families. http://ow.ly/BPB2 7:05 PM Nov 13th from HootSuite
Increase in number of children being taken into care post the Baby P case UK. Predictable? http://ow.ly/BOiS 4:40 PM Nov 13th from HootSuite
Irritating = news reports on children being taken into care on a single issue. Who doesn't understand the complexity? ttp://ow.ly/BOcJ 4:32 PM Nov 13th from HootSuite
Poor reporting from the journos - children removed from 'so-called fat family'. Called by whom? Not social workers http://ow.ly/BObS 4:30 PM Nov 13th from HootSuite
rt @childrensrights New report on Oklahoma child welfare: treatment of kids in foster care there is "immoral." http://is.gd/4SSRwdrensrights 10:15 AM Nov 12th from HootSuite
If you live in an apartment and have small children, check the safety of the windows and upgrade them if necessary http://ow.ly/Bc8t 2:08 PM Nov 11th from HootSuite
'Huge backlog' of cases in NT; - independent enquiry announced to report into the 'notification system' for child abuse http://ow.ly/BbPD 1:45 PM Nov 11th from HootSuite
When agencies can't work out what information can be shared people really do suffer JGOS (mental health service) http://ow.ly/BbNm 1:43 PM Nov 11th from HootSuite
rt @gauntlent rt @drewfromtv Follow me and LIVESTRONG gets 1 M Cancer DOLLARS help me reach1 m followers by 12/31/09 help save a life 11:52 AM Nov 10th from HootSuite
Babies having babies - 12 yr old who escaped proper supervision now has her own child http://ow.ly/ASIE 11:45 AM Nov 10th from HootSuite
Pew Report Only 6% of the adult population has no one who they consider to be “especially significant” in their life. http://ow.ly/ASFG 11:41 AM Nov 10th from HootSuite
Pew report on social isolation 'Only 6% of the adult population has no one with whom they can discuss important matters' http://ow.ly/ASF3 11:40 AM Nov 10th from HootSuite
the old adage - it takes a village to raise a child. http://bit.ly/eWnLe 1:12 PM Nov 6th from web
Medical world first saves baby's life - wonderful how this world of ours can collaborate http://ow.ly/zlgy 12:31 PM Nov 5th from HootSuite
'What do I call my foster carer? Whatever I choose just as long as I feel comfortable with it'. http://ow.ly/yNhC Sensible. 4:33 PM Nov 3rd from HootSuite
Useful publications for children in care from WA Govt - includes a charter of rights for children in care on page 20 http://ow.ly/yNfc 4:31 PM Nov 3rd from HootSuite
We are 'wired' similarly to degus (rodents) and so scientists can extrapolate the impact of single parents? Honestly. http://ow.ly/ygWQ 8:19 PM Nov 1st from HootSuite
Bad reporting 'Scientists are now finding that growing up without a father actually changes the way your brain develops.' http://ow.ly/ygVo 8:17 PM Nov 1st from HootSuite
Six dimensions of child well-being: material, housing, education, health, risk behaviours and quality of school life.http://ow.ly/xsIb 1:33 PM Oct 30th from HootSuite
Oh dear. How many things are wrong with this story. A Kiwi politician's answer to child abuse. http://ow.ly/xsxc 1:18 PM Oct 30th from HootSuite
Parents - become familiar with online tools so you can educate your children. Facebook hate sites are unacceptable! http://ow.ly/xspa 1:10 PM Oct 30th from HootSuite
There IS a link between diet and immune system http://ow.ly/xdva 12:53 PM Oct 29th from HootSuite
We like Chris Gardiner's article on the The Punch (CEO of PCYC) http://ow.ly/x00i so we wrote about it http://tinyurl.com/yhjshpp 12:57 AM Oct 29th from web
Kids need an adult committed to them, and not a committee of social workers and public servants: Chris Gardiner PCYC http://ow.ly/x00i 2:44 PM Oct 28th from HootSuite
intervention...must be built on an intense engagement around a single, consistent and strong adult relationship http://ow.ly/x004 2:43 PM Oct 28th from HootSuite
Failing kids, failing the community - good article in The Punch, re-socialising kids better than locking them up later on http://ow.ly/wZZm
Sammut: Community needs to accept that children in danger need to be removed, and the earlier the better for the child. http://ow.ly/R368 2 minutes ago from HootSuite
Creation of a stand alone dept that investigates reports of children at risk sorely needed and long overdue. Top priority. 3 minutes ago from HootSuite
NSW Govt throwing additional $300 million into support services for dysfunctional families after Wood Royal Commission. http://ow.ly/R34e 5 minutes ago from HootSuite
Sammut says DOCS budget was 'in excess of $1 billion last financial year'. That's a lot of shekels. http://ow.ly/R32J 6 minutes ago from HootSuite
Perhaps more honesty is needed about the real chances of solving drug abuse, mental illness and domestic violence in dysfunctional families? 9 minutes ago from HootSuite
Removal of 'at risk' children as a last resort can be a high risk policy. See Ebony and Dean Shillingsworth cases: http://ow.ly/R30b 10 minutes ago from HootSuite
Sammut comes out and says that family preservation - the current approach in child protection - is flawed: http://ow.ly/R2ZA 11 minutes ago from HootSuite
Two dreadful cases this year of parental neglect that were fatal for the children: Jeremy Sammut in the SMH http://ow.ly/R2YL 12 minutes ago from HootSuite
'Ghost Child' (Caroline Overington) available from Dymocks http://ow.ly/PPG4. If you are interested in children's rights - worth reading. 10:47 PM Dec 26th from HootSuite
Just read Caroline Overington's Ghost Child. Fiction - but some interesting and authentic perspectives from players in 'the system'. 10:43 PM Dec 26th from HootSuite
Hate to break it to you folks, but more money ain't gonna fix the social welfare system: http://ow.ly/PPzT 10:39 PM Dec 26th from HootSuite
We are not sure how much one-on-one our lovely Happy Camper got in her first years. Not much we suspect. Can you catch up? A resounding YES! 11:52 PM Dec 22nd from HootSuite
We read all the 'can do' advice for birth parents. And we realise that our small bundle of humanity might have missed out on lots of that. 11:48 PM Dec 22nd from HootSuite
We are tired at the end of the year and so it is very easy to scoff at all the rubbish on Twitter. 3:03 AM Dec 21st from HootSuite
Parental responsibility? rt @kimota Just blogged: 18+ video games in Aus "Won't somebody think of the children?" http://bit.ly/5R52jX 2:31 PM Dec 16th from HootSuite
Wonderful to see a mother provide such a sterling example to her daughter - NOT. Kid bashes another and mother films it! http://ow.ly/I1dU 12:37 PM Dec 3rd from HootSuite
What do kids in care need? Stability. Our view on what that looks like and the benefits for a child in care http://ow.ly/HsQt 11:42 PM Dec 1st from HootSuite
Our view on Adoption Awareness week in Oz. Is adoption actively discouraged here? http://ow.ly/HsPo 11:40 PM Dec 1st from HootSuite
Children have expectations about daily life. Harder to handle for children in care are the expectations about birth parents. What to expect? 10:08 PM Nov 24th from HootSuite
When a child in care becomes more responsible and mature than the birth parent, what do you do? We can see this coming. http://ow.ly/CVmj 1:33 PM Nov 17th from HootSuite
Awesome post from fostercareinamerica - honest, practical, insightful. A must read. http://ow.ly/CVlS 1:32 PM Nov 17th from HootSuite
Interesting reader responses on News.com.au to Adoption Awareness Week report. Everyone has an opinion! http://ow.ly/CTh9 10:27 AM Nov 17th from HootSuite
@emqff Nationaladoptionweek is happening in the UK as well. http://ow.ly/CCM0 4:33 PM Nov 16th from HootSuite in reply to emqff
Furness calls on Government to create 'a dedicated agency with a parliamentary secretary to oversee the adoption process' http://ow.ly/CC7F 3:50 PM Nov 16th from HootSuite
Deborah-Lee Furness comes out fighting on Oz Govt's 'anti-adoption culture' http://ow.ly/CC66 3:48 PM Nov 16th from HootSuite
Adoption is viable solution for 'children stuck in foster care drift'. And to prevent kids drifting into foster care drift http://ow.ly/CC54 3:47 PM Nov 16th from HootSuite
It's National Adoption Awareness Week. There is a perception that Oz is reluctant to advocate adoption. http://ow.ly/CC3Y 3:46 PM Nov 16th from HootSuite
@jcflamini Agree - re @childrensrights. Lots of solid info in their report. Want to write more on it! 7:06 PM Nov 13th from HootSuite in reply to jcflamini
Really like this report from @childrensrights on NYC foster care, and the effort to bring kids to permanent families. http://ow.ly/BPB2 7:05 PM Nov 13th from HootSuite
Increase in number of children being taken into care post the Baby P case UK. Predictable? http://ow.ly/BOiS 4:40 PM Nov 13th from HootSuite
Irritating = news reports on children being taken into care on a single issue. Who doesn't understand the complexity? ttp://ow.ly/BOcJ 4:32 PM Nov 13th from HootSuite
Poor reporting from the journos - children removed from 'so-called fat family'. Called by whom? Not social workers http://ow.ly/BObS 4:30 PM Nov 13th from HootSuite
rt @childrensrights New report on Oklahoma child welfare: treatment of kids in foster care there is "immoral." http://is.gd/4SSRwdrensrights 10:15 AM Nov 12th from HootSuite
If you live in an apartment and have small children, check the safety of the windows and upgrade them if necessary http://ow.ly/Bc8t 2:08 PM Nov 11th from HootSuite
'Huge backlog' of cases in NT; - independent enquiry announced to report into the 'notification system' for child abuse http://ow.ly/BbPD 1:45 PM Nov 11th from HootSuite
When agencies can't work out what information can be shared people really do suffer JGOS (mental health service) http://ow.ly/BbNm 1:43 PM Nov 11th from HootSuite
rt @gauntlent rt @drewfromtv Follow me and LIVESTRONG gets 1 M Cancer DOLLARS help me reach1 m followers by 12/31/09 help save a life 11:52 AM Nov 10th from HootSuite
Babies having babies - 12 yr old who escaped proper supervision now has her own child http://ow.ly/ASIE 11:45 AM Nov 10th from HootSuite
Pew Report Only 6% of the adult population has no one who they consider to be “especially significant” in their life. http://ow.ly/ASFG 11:41 AM Nov 10th from HootSuite
Pew report on social isolation 'Only 6% of the adult population has no one with whom they can discuss important matters' http://ow.ly/ASF3 11:40 AM Nov 10th from HootSuite
the old adage - it takes a village to raise a child. http://bit.ly/eWnLe 1:12 PM Nov 6th from web
Medical world first saves baby's life - wonderful how this world of ours can collaborate http://ow.ly/zlgy 12:31 PM Nov 5th from HootSuite
'What do I call my foster carer? Whatever I choose just as long as I feel comfortable with it'. http://ow.ly/yNhC Sensible. 4:33 PM Nov 3rd from HootSuite
Useful publications for children in care from WA Govt - includes a charter of rights for children in care on page 20 http://ow.ly/yNfc 4:31 PM Nov 3rd from HootSuite
We are 'wired' similarly to degus (rodents) and so scientists can extrapolate the impact of single parents? Honestly. http://ow.ly/ygWQ 8:19 PM Nov 1st from HootSuite
Bad reporting 'Scientists are now finding that growing up without a father actually changes the way your brain develops.' http://ow.ly/ygVo 8:17 PM Nov 1st from HootSuite
Six dimensions of child well-being: material, housing, education, health, risk behaviours and quality of school life.http://ow.ly/xsIb 1:33 PM Oct 30th from HootSuite
Oh dear. How many things are wrong with this story. A Kiwi politician's answer to child abuse. http://ow.ly/xsxc 1:18 PM Oct 30th from HootSuite
Parents - become familiar with online tools so you can educate your children. Facebook hate sites are unacceptable! http://ow.ly/xspa 1:10 PM Oct 30th from HootSuite
There IS a link between diet and immune system http://ow.ly/xdva 12:53 PM Oct 29th from HootSuite
We like Chris Gardiner's article on the The Punch (CEO of PCYC) http://ow.ly/x00i so we wrote about it http://tinyurl.com/yhjshpp 12:57 AM Oct 29th from web
Kids need an adult committed to them, and not a committee of social workers and public servants: Chris Gardiner PCYC http://ow.ly/x00i 2:44 PM Oct 28th from HootSuite
intervention...must be built on an intense engagement around a single, consistent and strong adult relationship http://ow.ly/x004 2:43 PM Oct 28th from HootSuite
Failing kids, failing the community - good article in The Punch, re-socialising kids better than locking them up later on http://ow.ly/wZZm
|
Twitter stream to 27-10-09
28/10/2009 21:43
We post links daily on Twitter to many articles we come across. They are often news reports or research studies that may be relevant to children in care, or to children generally.
We usually manage to provide our blunt opinion with them. While we try hard to be constructive on www.fostercarer.com.au, you’ll see we have a bit more fun with our tweets.
In case you missed them (or heaven forbid, you don’t follow us!) here is a list of our last couple of weeks’ tweets. Oh, and you’ll find the most recent posts at the top. So if you are unfamiliar with Twitter then you should read from the bottom of the post up.
Child protection workers raised 'serious concerns' about an adult's capability to care for a child but no one acted. Why? http://ow.ly/wvZH about 18 hours ago from HootSuite
And on the flip side, parenting is now a competition sport? Its one extreme to the other, isn't it. http://ow.ly/wvkF about 20 hours ago from HootSuite
Beyond belief that parents would let a child suffer because they are fearful of losing her. Or is it? http://ow.ly/wv6j about 21 hours ago from HootSuite
What is the test parents must pass if they have lost custody of a child, before that child or another is returned to them? http://ow.ly/wv5y about 21 hours ago from HootSuite
Good to see technology used to protect children's rights and wellbeing 'kidnapped child found through global money trail' http://ow.ly/vQ2G 3:13 PM Oct 22nd from HootSuite
Mental impairment defence for dad accused of throwing daughter from bridge. Not surprising. http://ow.ly/vPZW 3:09 PM Oct 22nd from HootSuite
Was about to huff about the guidelines but if those TV stats are true then we need more education out there! http://ow.ly/vNx5 9:46 AM Oct 22nd from HootSuite
'four-month-old babies watch 44 minutes of TV daily ...under-fours spend at least three hours a day in front of TV' (ACMA) http://ow.ly/vNwA 9:45 AM Oct 22nd from HootSuite
New parenting guidelines for parents - Don't force your kids to clear their plates at meal times. http://ow.ly/vNvp 9:42 AM Oct 22nd from HootSuite
rt Bckpck4AusKids 5 computers to give to long term foster/kinship carers! The computers are not new and fancy but ... http://bit.ly/r8zDL 1:57 PM Oct 21st from HootSuite
Foster care allowance is lower than this average cost of raising a child 'til 5. After 5 it is even more expensive! http://ow.ly/vAwG 1:54 PM Oct 21st from HootSuite
Small person is squealing with delight doing www.readingeggs.com. Really cool site for spelling and word skills for the under 10's.7:33 PM Oct 20th from HootSuite
Sue Price Men's Rights Agency: 'reasonable contact'. That's the issue - what's reasonable for the child? http://ow.ly/vn8N 4:00 PM Oct 20th from HootSuite
Submission: Family Court to consider parenting roles played by each parent pre-separation before deciding on roles after http://ow.ly/vn0l 3:38 PM Oct 20th from HootSuite
'Children under the current system DO NOT HAVE A VOICE' Submission on Shared parenting rollback - http://ow.ly/vmSp 3:31 PM Oct 20th from HootSuite
What a shame - child abduction hoax: rt @mashable WARNING: “98B351″ AMBER Alert Hoax Still Spreading on Twitter, Facebook - http://bit.ly/3v 10:35 PM Oct 15th from HootSuite
The results of a poor decision in child welfare can scar a child for life. http://ow.ly/uv8J Maybe we need an insurance scheme? 4:02 PM Oct 15th from HootSuite
You can sue a lawyer or a doctor for malpractice - should caseworkers be accountable to the same degree? http://ow.ly/uv8n
While we don't agree with punishment for caseworkers who make errors, we do agree accountability needs to be there http://ow.ly/uv7S 3:41 PM Oct 15th from HootSuite
When the current ideology is restitution with bio family @PruGoward, maybe social workers can argue just following orders? http://ow.ly/ujBL 8:52 PM Oct 14th from HootSuite
That'll help recruitment and retention @PruGoward (not). Criminal charges for caseworkers who get it wrong http://ow.ly/ujBm 8:50 PM Oct 14th from HootSuite
'Ms Goward said the prospect of punishment for caseworkers could provide better outcomes.' REALLY BAD IDEA http://ow.ly/ujyY 8:45 PM Oct 14th from HootSuite
To quote @jcflamini (who knows of what she speaks), 'sometimes the state should not give repeat chances to failing parents' 4:26 PM Oct 14th from HootSuite
'A desire to keep children with their families would not change, Ms Burney said.' No, 'keeping with' and 'returning to' are very different. 4:25 PM Oct 14th from HootSuite
There are many serious long term impacts of returning children to bio families again, and again, and again. Our post: http://ow.ly/uijV 4:23 PM Oct 14th from HootSuite
Is the ideology and desire to return children to bio family overriding their safety? Here's an example of where it did http://ow.ly/uijr 4:21 PM Oct 14th from HootSuite
'A BABY girl severely injured since being put in the care of relatives after DOCS took her from a foster family'. http://ow.ly/uiiI 4:19 PM Oct 14th from HootSuite
Pre-emptive strike: we teach the Camper that advertising is a crock, and you can't believe what you see in mags #bodyimage http://ow.ly/uh6E 12:59 PM Oct 14th from HootSuite
A Youth Advisory Board? Now there's an idea for children's services in Oz. Example here from the US. http://ow.ly/u4U3 3:18 PM Oct 13th from HootSuite
No TV for toddlers? The point is not only quantity, but QUALITY. http://ow.ly/u4Sn 3:13 PM Oct 13th from HootSuite
Just completed the NAPCAN survey on child abuse and neglect - please contribute! http://ow.ly/u3Ff 12:06 PM Oct 13th from HootSuite
RT @colgo too much research flying at parents, maybe they just shouldn't have kids? http://bit.ly/5ASmG 11:48 AM Oct 13th from HootSuite
We usually manage to provide our blunt opinion with them. While we try hard to be constructive on www.fostercarer.com.au, you’ll see we have a bit more fun with our tweets.
In case you missed them (or heaven forbid, you don’t follow us!) here is a list of our last couple of weeks’ tweets. Oh, and you’ll find the most recent posts at the top. So if you are unfamiliar with Twitter then you should read from the bottom of the post up.
Child protection workers raised 'serious concerns' about an adult's capability to care for a child but no one acted. Why? http://ow.ly/wvZH about 18 hours ago from HootSuite
And on the flip side, parenting is now a competition sport? Its one extreme to the other, isn't it. http://ow.ly/wvkF about 20 hours ago from HootSuite
Beyond belief that parents would let a child suffer because they are fearful of losing her. Or is it? http://ow.ly/wv6j about 21 hours ago from HootSuite
What is the test parents must pass if they have lost custody of a child, before that child or another is returned to them? http://ow.ly/wv5y about 21 hours ago from HootSuite
Good to see technology used to protect children's rights and wellbeing 'kidnapped child found through global money trail' http://ow.ly/vQ2G 3:13 PM Oct 22nd from HootSuite
Mental impairment defence for dad accused of throwing daughter from bridge. Not surprising. http://ow.ly/vPZW 3:09 PM Oct 22nd from HootSuite
Was about to huff about the guidelines but if those TV stats are true then we need more education out there! http://ow.ly/vNx5 9:46 AM Oct 22nd from HootSuite
'four-month-old babies watch 44 minutes of TV daily ...under-fours spend at least three hours a day in front of TV' (ACMA) http://ow.ly/vNwA 9:45 AM Oct 22nd from HootSuite
New parenting guidelines for parents - Don't force your kids to clear their plates at meal times. http://ow.ly/vNvp 9:42 AM Oct 22nd from HootSuite
rt Bckpck4AusKids 5 computers to give to long term foster/kinship carers! The computers are not new and fancy but ... http://bit.ly/r8zDL 1:57 PM Oct 21st from HootSuite
Foster care allowance is lower than this average cost of raising a child 'til 5. After 5 it is even more expensive! http://ow.ly/vAwG 1:54 PM Oct 21st from HootSuite
Small person is squealing with delight doing www.readingeggs.com. Really cool site for spelling and word skills for the under 10's.7:33 PM Oct 20th from HootSuite
Sue Price Men's Rights Agency: 'reasonable contact'. That's the issue - what's reasonable for the child? http://ow.ly/vn8N 4:00 PM Oct 20th from HootSuite
Submission: Family Court to consider parenting roles played by each parent pre-separation before deciding on roles after http://ow.ly/vn0l 3:38 PM Oct 20th from HootSuite
'Children under the current system DO NOT HAVE A VOICE' Submission on Shared parenting rollback - http://ow.ly/vmSp 3:31 PM Oct 20th from HootSuite
What a shame - child abduction hoax: rt @mashable WARNING: “98B351″ AMBER Alert Hoax Still Spreading on Twitter, Facebook - http://bit.ly/3v 10:35 PM Oct 15th from HootSuite
The results of a poor decision in child welfare can scar a child for life. http://ow.ly/uv8J Maybe we need an insurance scheme? 4:02 PM Oct 15th from HootSuite
You can sue a lawyer or a doctor for malpractice - should caseworkers be accountable to the same degree? http://ow.ly/uv8n
While we don't agree with punishment for caseworkers who make errors, we do agree accountability needs to be there http://ow.ly/uv7S 3:41 PM Oct 15th from HootSuite
When the current ideology is restitution with bio family @PruGoward, maybe social workers can argue just following orders? http://ow.ly/ujBL 8:52 PM Oct 14th from HootSuite
That'll help recruitment and retention @PruGoward (not). Criminal charges for caseworkers who get it wrong http://ow.ly/ujBm 8:50 PM Oct 14th from HootSuite
'Ms Goward said the prospect of punishment for caseworkers could provide better outcomes.' REALLY BAD IDEA http://ow.ly/ujyY 8:45 PM Oct 14th from HootSuite
To quote @jcflamini (who knows of what she speaks), 'sometimes the state should not give repeat chances to failing parents' 4:26 PM Oct 14th from HootSuite
'A desire to keep children with their families would not change, Ms Burney said.' No, 'keeping with' and 'returning to' are very different. 4:25 PM Oct 14th from HootSuite
There are many serious long term impacts of returning children to bio families again, and again, and again. Our post: http://ow.ly/uijV 4:23 PM Oct 14th from HootSuite
Is the ideology and desire to return children to bio family overriding their safety? Here's an example of where it did http://ow.ly/uijr 4:21 PM Oct 14th from HootSuite
'A BABY girl severely injured since being put in the care of relatives after DOCS took her from a foster family'. http://ow.ly/uiiI 4:19 PM Oct 14th from HootSuite
Pre-emptive strike: we teach the Camper that advertising is a crock, and you can't believe what you see in mags #bodyimage http://ow.ly/uh6E 12:59 PM Oct 14th from HootSuite
A Youth Advisory Board? Now there's an idea for children's services in Oz. Example here from the US. http://ow.ly/u4U3 3:18 PM Oct 13th from HootSuite
No TV for toddlers? The point is not only quantity, but QUALITY. http://ow.ly/u4Sn 3:13 PM Oct 13th from HootSuite
Just completed the NAPCAN survey on child abuse and neglect - please contribute! http://ow.ly/u3Ff 12:06 PM Oct 13th from HootSuite
RT @colgo too much research flying at parents, maybe they just shouldn't have kids? http://bit.ly/5ASmG 11:48 AM Oct 13th from HootSuite
65 Australian children per 1000 are living in out of home care
20/09/2009 21:28
We don’t often see statistics in Australia about children in care. This came across our RSS feed the other week from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
As at 30 June 2008 in Australia, there were 31,116 children living in out of home care (OOHC). That’s 6.5% per 1,000, or 65 children per 1000.
One third were aged 10-14 years, one third aged 5-9 years, 25% were aged under 5 years, and 14% were aged 15-17 years.
This rate and number has more than doubled since 1997 (from 11,600 to the current number). The increase is a result of more children commencing OOHC than are being discharged from it each year. The increased duration of OOHC placements also reflects the increasing complexity in family situations.
Common family situations are low family income, parental substance abuse, mental health issues and family violence.
The majority of children - 95% - aged 0-14 were in home based care. That is split into foster care (48%) and kinship care (45%). A smaller proportion were in residential care (5%), and they were generally older children over the age of 10 years.
During 2007-08, there were 317,526 reports of suspected child-abuse and neglect made to authorities. These figures appear to indicate that the reporting of abuse has increased. Of that number, 194,937 concerned the same children. There were a total of 148,824 finalised investigations recorded in Australia (an increase of 8% on the 2005-06 year).
Pretty sobering figures, don’t you think?
As at 30 June 2008 in Australia, there were 31,116 children living in out of home care (OOHC). That’s 6.5% per 1,000, or 65 children per 1000.
One third were aged 10-14 years, one third aged 5-9 years, 25% were aged under 5 years, and 14% were aged 15-17 years.
This rate and number has more than doubled since 1997 (from 11,600 to the current number). The increase is a result of more children commencing OOHC than are being discharged from it each year. The increased duration of OOHC placements also reflects the increasing complexity in family situations.
Common family situations are low family income, parental substance abuse, mental health issues and family violence.
The majority of children - 95% - aged 0-14 were in home based care. That is split into foster care (48%) and kinship care (45%). A smaller proportion were in residential care (5%), and they were generally older children over the age of 10 years.
During 2007-08, there were 317,526 reports of suspected child-abuse and neglect made to authorities. These figures appear to indicate that the reporting of abuse has increased. Of that number, 194,937 concerned the same children. There were a total of 148,824 finalised investigations recorded in Australia (an increase of 8% on the 2005-06 year).
Pretty sobering figures, don’t you think?
Who is watching out for the children?
29/07/2009 23:41
Today, two ‘popular’ entertainers carried out a stunt, whereby a 14 year old girl was brought by her mother to their studio, hooked up to a lie detector, and quizzed on air by the radio hosts about her sexual history. The media coverage states that her mother, who attended, wanted to know whether her daughter had taken drugs or was sexually active.
While anyone with some standards has probably had a meltdown, those of us a bit closer to children at risk sighed. There are so many things wrong with this stunt, not the least of which is the ‘me, I didn’t do anything wrong’ online explanation from one of the entertainers (we’re not even going to link to any of the coverage, sorry).
‘What did you expect!’ you might ask?
Well, we expect that society will look out for children.
The girl was 14 years of age. In our country that is underage. So let’s see where the buck should have stopped.
We think it highly unlikely that the child was able to fully understand what she was getting herself into, and the full implications of what might occur. There’s informed consent and we doubt she had it. But maybe she wanted to go ahead?
So we think it was highly inappropriate for the mother to either coerce, acquiesce to or simply allow her underage daughter to be questioned on air about her sexual history. So mother hasn’t the best judgment?
We think is highly inappropriate for a commercial radio station to provide a forum for a careless parent to expose her underage child to such an experience.
Was there no adult there who questioned whether this was in the child’s best interests?
What is sad beyond belief is that not one adult considered the segment (because of the girl's age and the line of questioning) to be exploitative, damaging and negligent. Or if they did, they were prepared to compromise that for ratings and revenue.
When adults absolve themselves of responsibility for children, when commercial enterprises throw out standards in the pursuit of revenue, and when ignorant egotists rule the airwaves, the victims are the kids.
And sadly, this pattern of failure after failure is all too common. The question is not ‘who is responsible?’ It’s ‘who is going to take responsibility?’
While anyone with some standards has probably had a meltdown, those of us a bit closer to children at risk sighed. There are so many things wrong with this stunt, not the least of which is the ‘me, I didn’t do anything wrong’ online explanation from one of the entertainers (we’re not even going to link to any of the coverage, sorry).
‘What did you expect!’ you might ask?
Well, we expect that society will look out for children.
The girl was 14 years of age. In our country that is underage. So let’s see where the buck should have stopped.
We think it highly unlikely that the child was able to fully understand what she was getting herself into, and the full implications of what might occur. There’s informed consent and we doubt she had it. But maybe she wanted to go ahead?
So we think it was highly inappropriate for the mother to either coerce, acquiesce to or simply allow her underage daughter to be questioned on air about her sexual history. So mother hasn’t the best judgment?
We think is highly inappropriate for a commercial radio station to provide a forum for a careless parent to expose her underage child to such an experience.
Was there no adult there who questioned whether this was in the child’s best interests?
What is sad beyond belief is that not one adult considered the segment (because of the girl's age and the line of questioning) to be exploitative, damaging and negligent. Or if they did, they were prepared to compromise that for ratings and revenue.
When adults absolve themselves of responsibility for children, when commercial enterprises throw out standards in the pursuit of revenue, and when ignorant egotists rule the airwaves, the victims are the kids.
And sadly, this pattern of failure after failure is all too common. The question is not ‘who is responsible?’ It’s ‘who is going to take responsibility?’
The Commission Outcomes
27/11/2008 11:32
Dear Justice Wood, Premier Rees, Minister Burney and all those who will be working through Justice Wood’s recommendations,
It was big commission wasn’t it? 111 recommendations, and a significant part of those is in relation to moving responsibility for sheltering children at risk to the private sector.
Funnily enough, ask any business person and they will tell you that one of the greatest challenges in outsourcing a service is governance – who monitors the system to make sure it works as intended - and accountability. You can’t outsource accountability. So what structure will still be in place in government? I suppose that’s all to be worked out yet.
Our experience has also shown us a very great difference between DOCS workers and private agency workers – in skill, in maturity, in experience. So the uplift required for many agencies will be huge. But you knew that, didn’t you? And the officers from those agencies who presented to the commission were honest and upfront about how well they functioned, and what it would take to enable their agencies to effectively take over from DOCS. Weren’t they?
We’d like to recommend that one of the toolsets you implement, to maintain standards across this distributed agency group, and to give us carers a clearer picture of what we are entitled to expect, are service levels. They won’t solve all the problems but they will provide some clarity. You see, agencies can get pretty autocratic about how they do things, their policies and their processes. They can push an agenda relentlessly. If you are a carer with an opinion and push hard enough back they can even get a bit narky. But you knew that, didn’t you?
So good luck. It’s a shame that more of the submissions to the Commission were not made public. Then I think we’d all have a better understanding of all the issues we are dealing with. It’s not that we don’t trust you, but at present, having heard the agency and DOCS submissions, we’re just feeling a bit one-sided.
Yours faithfully,
EssentialMum
Posted by EssentialMum
It was big commission wasn’t it? 111 recommendations, and a significant part of those is in relation to moving responsibility for sheltering children at risk to the private sector.
Funnily enough, ask any business person and they will tell you that one of the greatest challenges in outsourcing a service is governance – who monitors the system to make sure it works as intended - and accountability. You can’t outsource accountability. So what structure will still be in place in government? I suppose that’s all to be worked out yet.
Our experience has also shown us a very great difference between DOCS workers and private agency workers – in skill, in maturity, in experience. So the uplift required for many agencies will be huge. But you knew that, didn’t you? And the officers from those agencies who presented to the commission were honest and upfront about how well they functioned, and what it would take to enable their agencies to effectively take over from DOCS. Weren’t they?
We’d like to recommend that one of the toolsets you implement, to maintain standards across this distributed agency group, and to give us carers a clearer picture of what we are entitled to expect, are service levels. They won’t solve all the problems but they will provide some clarity. You see, agencies can get pretty autocratic about how they do things, their policies and their processes. They can push an agenda relentlessly. If you are a carer with an opinion and push hard enough back they can even get a bit narky. But you knew that, didn’t you?
So good luck. It’s a shame that more of the submissions to the Commission were not made public. Then I think we’d all have a better understanding of all the issues we are dealing with. It’s not that we don’t trust you, but at present, having heard the agency and DOCS submissions, we’re just feeling a bit one-sided.
Yours faithfully,
EssentialMum
Posted by EssentialMum
When do we connect the dots .................?
25/07/2008 22:51
EssentialMum offloaded a car last year. She filled out her paperwork for the RTA transferring registration.
So - stay with me here - how interesting to receive an E-Toll statement this week, containing recent toll charges for the offloaded vehicle. Not high. Just wrong.
The E-Toll statement has the RTA logo on the top left corner, as well as the Roads and Traffic Authority business name and ABN (Australian Business Number). The links to the web for further information take the user to the RTA site. One could assume they were part of the RTA in fact. Couldn’t one?
EssentialMum rang the Operations Centre, and politely enquired as to why charges were still coming through for the offloaded car. The very polite and helpful staffer told us that the charges occurred when a tag didn’t work – so they would confirm the car registration and manually charge whichever E-Toll account had that car rego listed on it.
So one part of the RTA that processes a transfer in registration of a vehicle has no way of informing another part of the RTA of the change in ownership. In this age of connectivity, you’ve got to be kidding!
It’s a good day when we learn something – even if it is how to manage our E-Toll account. But it struck a chord with us.
This is what child welfare services struggle with.
No one joins the dots, and in those circumstances it is often a child’s life at risk, not a few dollars on a toll charge. In child welfare it is not just within an organisation, but across all parties charged with some responsibility for children’s welfare and safety.
How hard could it be to create a networked database, accessible by all required parties, to track case plans, incidents, issues and care plans for children at risk? Of course there are privacy issues. Corporations have been managing customer privacy issues for years.
Can you imagine the information flow if a case worker, a doctor, a teacher, a police officer, a community health worker, a foster parent, even a birth parent could communicate online? About a child. One can only dream.
Posted by EssentialMum
So - stay with me here - how interesting to receive an E-Toll statement this week, containing recent toll charges for the offloaded vehicle. Not high. Just wrong.
The E-Toll statement has the RTA logo on the top left corner, as well as the Roads and Traffic Authority business name and ABN (Australian Business Number). The links to the web for further information take the user to the RTA site. One could assume they were part of the RTA in fact. Couldn’t one?
EssentialMum rang the Operations Centre, and politely enquired as to why charges were still coming through for the offloaded car. The very polite and helpful staffer told us that the charges occurred when a tag didn’t work – so they would confirm the car registration and manually charge whichever E-Toll account had that car rego listed on it.
So one part of the RTA that processes a transfer in registration of a vehicle has no way of informing another part of the RTA of the change in ownership. In this age of connectivity, you’ve got to be kidding!
It’s a good day when we learn something – even if it is how to manage our E-Toll account. But it struck a chord with us.
This is what child welfare services struggle with.
No one joins the dots, and in those circumstances it is often a child’s life at risk, not a few dollars on a toll charge. In child welfare it is not just within an organisation, but across all parties charged with some responsibility for children’s welfare and safety.
How hard could it be to create a networked database, accessible by all required parties, to track case plans, incidents, issues and care plans for children at risk? Of course there are privacy issues. Corporations have been managing customer privacy issues for years.
Can you imagine the information flow if a case worker, a doctor, a teacher, a police officer, a community health worker, a foster parent, even a birth parent could communicate online? About a child. One can only dream.
Posted by EssentialMum
Children don’t go into limbo while the adults sort themselves out
07/07/2008 01:07
Kate de Brito’s blog at news.com.au had an interesting topic. This week’s post was ‘Should I report my sister to child services?’ (If you click through don't be surprised to find some fairly blunt posts and comments on all manner of subjects).
The person who submitted the question – which was whether she should notify the authorities about her sister’s home situation - outlined what is essentially a scenario of children at risk, and asked for advice. There was plenty.
Many contributors were simply stunned. Given what is reported on the news most weeks that's surprising, but there you go. Many thought a good home clean-up/talking to/scare for mother was needed. Most of those missed the complexity of the situation and mother’s state of mental health and, we think, the reality that we are dealing with people here. And there were some well-reasoned and thoughtful responses.
The piece the readers had the least information on was what the family had done or was doing. There were a number of comments about what the family should do in such circumstances. That’s not an easy one to answer.
But surprise - the bogeyman was the authorities. While Kate recommended an initial approach to find out options, and a contributor pointed out that there is quite a process that the authorities follow before any decisions are made, many contributors put notifying the authorities as a last resort.
We can understand why many people assume the worst – of the system and the authorities. We can see why people feel that once they launch this juggernaut they will have no input and no control. A systematic approach, by its very nature, often works to exclude those who don’t understand it, or don’t have the skills the system requires to deal with it.
We have argued with social workers and stood our ground when we have a different view of what’s proposed for a child in care. Some workers made it clear that they thought we were being uncooperative because we dared to disagree with them. We believe we were doing our job and treating our child like the individual they are. It takes courage and smarts and tenacity to hold the line.
As a carer, you can feel torn by all these viewpoints. We think there is a guiding principle that helps. It’s certainly helped us work out what really matters.
Put the child first
Usually stated by all parties but not always done. We’ve heard a complacent ‘we advocate for the child’ from a worker. What the worker had conveniently forgotten was that she advocated for the child within the well prescribed, bog standard framework of the agency. And the agency had its own agenda. Funnily enough, some of that bog standard framework was in conflict with DOCS' approach.
So what’s the point?
There’s a point where the child’s needs outweigh those of the birth parent. Many of the posts on Kate de Brito’s blog advocated assistance for the mother. Absolutely. But make sure the children are OK while that process is going on.
Because children don’t go into limbo while the adults sort themselves out.
Posted by EssentialMum
The person who submitted the question – which was whether she should notify the authorities about her sister’s home situation - outlined what is essentially a scenario of children at risk, and asked for advice. There was plenty.
Many contributors were simply stunned. Given what is reported on the news most weeks that's surprising, but there you go. Many thought a good home clean-up/talking to/scare for mother was needed. Most of those missed the complexity of the situation and mother’s state of mental health and, we think, the reality that we are dealing with people here. And there were some well-reasoned and thoughtful responses.
The piece the readers had the least information on was what the family had done or was doing. There were a number of comments about what the family should do in such circumstances. That’s not an easy one to answer.
But surprise - the bogeyman was the authorities. While Kate recommended an initial approach to find out options, and a contributor pointed out that there is quite a process that the authorities follow before any decisions are made, many contributors put notifying the authorities as a last resort.
We can understand why many people assume the worst – of the system and the authorities. We can see why people feel that once they launch this juggernaut they will have no input and no control. A systematic approach, by its very nature, often works to exclude those who don’t understand it, or don’t have the skills the system requires to deal with it.
We have argued with social workers and stood our ground when we have a different view of what’s proposed for a child in care. Some workers made it clear that they thought we were being uncooperative because we dared to disagree with them. We believe we were doing our job and treating our child like the individual they are. It takes courage and smarts and tenacity to hold the line.
As a carer, you can feel torn by all these viewpoints. We think there is a guiding principle that helps. It’s certainly helped us work out what really matters.
Put the child first
Usually stated by all parties but not always done. We’ve heard a complacent ‘we advocate for the child’ from a worker. What the worker had conveniently forgotten was that she advocated for the child within the well prescribed, bog standard framework of the agency. And the agency had its own agenda. Funnily enough, some of that bog standard framework was in conflict with DOCS' approach.
So what’s the point?
There’s a point where the child’s needs outweigh those of the birth parent. Many of the posts on Kate de Brito’s blog advocated assistance for the mother. Absolutely. But make sure the children are OK while that process is going on.
Because children don’t go into limbo while the adults sort themselves out.
Posted by EssentialMum
'Why would you want to become a foster carer?'
24/06/2008 11:46
As I continue down my journey of learning and thinking (and wondering whether foster care is the right thing for me) the most common reaction I am confronted with is “why would you want to do that?”.
Somehow my life has become public property and everyone is free to give their opinion on my decision to become a foster carer.
There’re some who have said 'surely life’s not that bad'. Well, no, it’s good, really good, and that’s why I want to share it with a child who is not so fortunate.
Some have said, 'Don’t worry you’ll meet someone eventually'. Well I haven’t yet. But that’s not really the point.
Others have said 'Aha, that’s why you moved to the suburbs and bought a bigger house'. To be perfectly honest, there’s an element of truth in that – maybe I have created space for a family I don’t yet have. But then, life experience tells me there’s something to be said for stepping out in faith and waiting for circumstances to move in your direction.
The more complete response is that I believe I have something to give and I think that not only is this an opportunity for me to give something back and contribute in a very practical way, but fostering will also be an opportunity for me to grow and enrich my life. Plus I do love a challenge - and this will be the biggest challenge I have ever faced.
So what is it that causes this range of responses in people – people I know really well and people I don’t know at all?
On reflection, I think they find it threatening. Foster care is a new concept for a lot of people and is most likely something they’ve never considered. They can’t bring themselves to imagine why anyone would want to foster.
There’s an old adage – seek first to understand, then to be understood. Ask people what they find so intriguing or confronting about fostering. You both might just learn something.
Unless you know someone who fosters, it’s difficult to even start to appreciate what it’s all about. While I knew friends at school whose families did short term foster care, I didn’t really know anything about fostering until my cousin decided to foster. And lots of people I’ve met on my journey thus far found out about fostering through friends.
Foster care may not be well understood, but the need is there and foster care is going on all around us through the efforts of many generous families and people who care. And in the end that’s the most important ingredient – to care!
Posted by Dorothy
Somehow my life has become public property and everyone is free to give their opinion on my decision to become a foster carer.
There’re some who have said 'surely life’s not that bad'. Well, no, it’s good, really good, and that’s why I want to share it with a child who is not so fortunate.
Some have said, 'Don’t worry you’ll meet someone eventually'. Well I haven’t yet. But that’s not really the point.
Others have said 'Aha, that’s why you moved to the suburbs and bought a bigger house'. To be perfectly honest, there’s an element of truth in that – maybe I have created space for a family I don’t yet have. But then, life experience tells me there’s something to be said for stepping out in faith and waiting for circumstances to move in your direction.
The more complete response is that I believe I have something to give and I think that not only is this an opportunity for me to give something back and contribute in a very practical way, but fostering will also be an opportunity for me to grow and enrich my life. Plus I do love a challenge - and this will be the biggest challenge I have ever faced.
So what is it that causes this range of responses in people – people I know really well and people I don’t know at all?
On reflection, I think they find it threatening. Foster care is a new concept for a lot of people and is most likely something they’ve never considered. They can’t bring themselves to imagine why anyone would want to foster.
There’s an old adage – seek first to understand, then to be understood. Ask people what they find so intriguing or confronting about fostering. You both might just learn something.
Unless you know someone who fosters, it’s difficult to even start to appreciate what it’s all about. While I knew friends at school whose families did short term foster care, I didn’t really know anything about fostering until my cousin decided to foster. And lots of people I’ve met on my journey thus far found out about fostering through friends.
Foster care may not be well understood, but the need is there and foster care is going on all around us through the efforts of many generous families and people who care. And in the end that’s the most important ingredient – to care!
Posted by Dorothy
Why become a foster carer?
07/06/2008 01:12
Everyone has different reasons for becoming a carer. Dorothy is, with encouragement from her support network, baring her soul on this journey. It’s a privilege to read her very honest thoughts. As there are so many different types of care, we can’t even begin to catalogue them.
We wanted to make a difference at the most personal level. Donating to charities is important; the well-structured ones do wonderful work. But there had to be something more personal, which took more of our time, our skill and our commitment.
We were respite carers for some time. Working full time, it seemed sensible to provide weekend care for a little one and help the existing parent-child relationship along. We had some good times, and both mother and babe seemed to benefit from the contact.
But as we dropped the little babe back each time, the thought that grew was how we could make a difference that stuck? Sustenance was good – in this instance it helped a mum maintain her relationship with her babies. We wanted to do more. We wanted to give more.
It seemed that long term, full time care was the answer.
We are people who DO. We talk lots and at length but we also really like to DO.
To us the ultimate contribution was changing a child’s life. We could help one little person work his or her way through the circumstances of their birth and family, to be a happy, healthy, confident – insert all adjectives here – member of the world. We might be able to set this child on a path of self-discovery and achievement, secure in the knowledge that they are loved and treasured. You can tell we’re optimists too, can’t you?
EssentialMum has a long family history of experience in foster care, so the concept of fostering was known and understood. All that was good about it and frankly, all that was bad too. For child and family. So all the starry eyed aspirations had a firm grounding in reality. That’s why we thought of fostering rather than adoption. We knew it was valuable.
It’s been difficult, and challenging, and simply wonderful. Happy Camper is now such a part of our lives that we don’t think of her in any other terms than permanent presence. We’re committed to this relationship. And Happy Camper knows it.
Posted by EssentialMum
We wanted to make a difference at the most personal level. Donating to charities is important; the well-structured ones do wonderful work. But there had to be something more personal, which took more of our time, our skill and our commitment.
We were respite carers for some time. Working full time, it seemed sensible to provide weekend care for a little one and help the existing parent-child relationship along. We had some good times, and both mother and babe seemed to benefit from the contact.
But as we dropped the little babe back each time, the thought that grew was how we could make a difference that stuck? Sustenance was good – in this instance it helped a mum maintain her relationship with her babies. We wanted to do more. We wanted to give more.
It seemed that long term, full time care was the answer.
We are people who DO. We talk lots and at length but we also really like to DO.
To us the ultimate contribution was changing a child’s life. We could help one little person work his or her way through the circumstances of their birth and family, to be a happy, healthy, confident – insert all adjectives here – member of the world. We might be able to set this child on a path of self-discovery and achievement, secure in the knowledge that they are loved and treasured. You can tell we’re optimists too, can’t you?
EssentialMum has a long family history of experience in foster care, so the concept of fostering was known and understood. All that was good about it and frankly, all that was bad too. For child and family. So all the starry eyed aspirations had a firm grounding in reality. That’s why we thought of fostering rather than adoption. We knew it was valuable.
It’s been difficult, and challenging, and simply wonderful. Happy Camper is now such a part of our lives that we don’t think of her in any other terms than permanent presence. We’re committed to this relationship. And Happy Camper knows it.
Posted by EssentialMum
Columnist bites back
27/05/2008 23:05
A Sunday paper columnist recently took on all the city dog owners and their 'surrogate children' (her description). She copped a backlash.
We're dog people, and so our dogs preceded Happy Camper's arrival. It helped that when she came to live with us she was not scared of furry four legged creatures, and we are pleased that Happy Camper's life now encompasses animals. The dogs have played quite a role in the process of her settling into the family, and they continue to help Happy Camper - to laugh, to love, to play, and to care.
Here’s why we have two of the hounds:
For the articles that set it all off, click here.
Posted by EssentialMum
We're dog people, and so our dogs preceded Happy Camper's arrival. It helped that when she came to live with us she was not scared of furry four legged creatures, and we are pleased that Happy Camper's life now encompasses animals. The dogs have played quite a role in the process of her settling into the family, and they continue to help Happy Camper - to laugh, to love, to play, and to care.
Here’s why we have two of the hounds:
- They are trainable. Ours don’t bite, chase children, bark endlessly, or poop or pee where they are not meant to. They also know who is the boss (and that would be EssentialMum).
- They are great companions for Happy Camper. She has learned how to respect another creature, how to be gentle, how to be superior and wield that superiority gently, how to nurture and care for another living creature, how to take responsibility.
- One huge gentle beastie was Happy Camper’s new best friend when she came to live with us. The dog was patient, gentle, loving and fascinated with Happy Camper. She took almost any play Happy Camper dished out (under our supervision), and showed Happy Camper what unconditional love looks like. We’ve done it too of course but the dog had it nailed.
- Happy Camper enjoys the wonderful feeling of a dog’s coat, a dog’s silky ears between her fingers. She delights in a doggy play bow and a game, tug of war with a toy, and a cuddle with a furry beast. She’s quick to blame a four legged fiend when any unpleasant smell surfaces.
- We have conversations about how puppies come to live in other homes, away from their mums. For us any analogy for Happy Camper that mirrors her circumstances and opens up the conversation in a casual way is really useful. Happy Camper is also starting to learn that dogs don't live as long as we do.
- Our dogs get us out in the fresh air. We walk, we ride our scooter, around the suburb, to the local park, to visit grandparents. We watch the dogs sniff every tree, we take them to off leash areas and watch them play, and we run and kick a ball and fall over in a heap with them. We don't fight for space - we all share it.
For the articles that set it all off, click here.
Posted by EssentialMum
Welcome to fostercarer.com.au
07/01/2008 16:19
Welcome to fostercarer.com.au. For more information about us and why this site exists, please go to the About Us page. But we'll provide a short version here.....
We've been involved in foster care, as a family, for 40 years. Vastly different circumstances, different outcomes, and different experiences. But we've learned a great deal.
Agencies are called on to place children in a caring and safe environment where their family is unable to provide for them, and act as a conduit between government, the children and their families and foster carers. Agencies carry a lot of responsibility and are given a lot of authority. They can either be outstanding in their understanding and support, or add to the foster carer’s burden. We’ve experienced both ends of the scale. We believe that understanding carers’ experience and sharing that constructively with all parties - to enhance the quality of those interactions - can be of benefit to all concerned.
So how will this work? We want to share and so will do that through this site. There is opportunity for you to share as well, either through comments or feedback. We'd love to hear from you.
Posted by EssentialMum
We've been involved in foster care, as a family, for 40 years. Vastly different circumstances, different outcomes, and different experiences. But we've learned a great deal.
We believe there is a useful conversation to be had between carers and carers, and carers and agencies, independently of the children in your care. Over time those conversations may well extend to all aspects of being a foster carer. Many of those conversations happen in person. We think there is an opportunity in this networked world to carry out some of them online.
Agencies are called on to place children in a caring and safe environment where their family is unable to provide for them, and act as a conduit between government, the children and their families and foster carers. Agencies carry a lot of responsibility and are given a lot of authority. They can either be outstanding in their understanding and support, or add to the foster carer’s burden. We’ve experienced both ends of the scale. We believe that understanding carers’ experience and sharing that constructively with all parties - to enhance the quality of those interactions - can be of benefit to all concerned.
So how will this work? We want to share and so will do that through this site. There is opportunity for you to share as well, either through comments or feedback. We'd love to hear from you.
Posted by EssentialMum
Conversations
07/01/2008 16:16
What kind of conversations might we have?
Here are some questions that have come up along our journey. Questions we wanted answers to from other carers or some independent experts.
• What are the options for access and who can be there to support me?
• How flexible can I expect the system to be?
• Who determines the routine? Should my social worker set the rules or is it by mutual agreement?
• What do I do if I don’t agree with the way things are going? Do I have a right of recourse or reply?
• How do I handle childcare?
• How do I sort out financial support?
• What happens if I can’t attend the agency provided support meetings?
• What happens when the best interests of my foster child seem at odds with those of the birth family or vice versa?
• How do you juggle the needs of DoCS and your social worker, while holding down a full time job?
• I feel administration weary, is that normal?
• Of course my social worker needs to check how things are going, but what is a normal level of interaction and oversight?
• Can my broader family and support network help out where needed and who do I need to inform?
• My foster child is starting school, how do I help them communicate their unique family relationships?
• Who needs to know about our foster care arrangements - the school, the dentist, my neighbour?
• What are the arrangements for taking holidays?
• How do I find out about my foster child’s history? Is there medical or other important information that I need to know and how do I get access to that?
• What’s the best approach when my foster child asks questions about their past?
• What records of my foster child’s time with me do I need to keep?
• What are the legal rules and guidelines that I need to know about?
• What are the changes that have impacted the foster care area, such as the amendments to the Adoption Act? What do they mean for my foster child?
• Where do I go for more information?
We hope that as the site - and community – matures, carers will use it to ask questions and seek feedback from others. Grand plan hey?
Posted by EssentialMum
Here are some questions that have come up along our journey. Questions we wanted answers to from other carers or some independent experts.
• What are the options for access and who can be there to support me?
• How flexible can I expect the system to be?
• Who determines the routine? Should my social worker set the rules or is it by mutual agreement?
• What do I do if I don’t agree with the way things are going? Do I have a right of recourse or reply?
• How do I handle childcare?
• How do I sort out financial support?
• What happens if I can’t attend the agency provided support meetings?
• What happens when the best interests of my foster child seem at odds with those of the birth family or vice versa?
• How do you juggle the needs of DoCS and your social worker, while holding down a full time job?
• I feel administration weary, is that normal?
• Of course my social worker needs to check how things are going, but what is a normal level of interaction and oversight?
• Can my broader family and support network help out where needed and who do I need to inform?
• My foster child is starting school, how do I help them communicate their unique family relationships?
• Who needs to know about our foster care arrangements - the school, the dentist, my neighbour?
• What are the arrangements for taking holidays?
• How do I find out about my foster child’s history? Is there medical or other important information that I need to know and how do I get access to that?
• What’s the best approach when my foster child asks questions about their past?
• What records of my foster child’s time with me do I need to keep?
• What are the legal rules and guidelines that I need to know about?
• What are the changes that have impacted the foster care area, such as the amendments to the Adoption Act? What do they mean for my foster child?
• Where do I go for more information?
We hope that as the site - and community – matures, carers will use it to ask questions and seek feedback from others. Grand plan hey?
Posted by EssentialMum