Adopt Change to lead New South Wales Government ‘My Forever Family NSW’ program
Adopt Change to lead New South Wales Government ‘My Forever Family NSW’ program
With the number of children in out of home care continuing to rise, a new initiative will focus on the recruitment, training and support of guardians, adoptive parents and foster carers, to ensure more children grow up in permanent, nurturing and safe homes.
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian and the Minister for Family and Community Services Pru Goward have today announced Adopt Change as the successful provider on the new My Forever Family NSW program, which will provide recruitment, training and support of a range of carers, including short-term foster carers (to look after children before they can return home to birth family), guardians and adoptive parents.
Adopt Change will lead the project, working with consortium partners Prosper (Project Australia) and Early Start with Professor Paul Chandler, to deliver culturally appropriate, tailored programs. These programs are designed to both increase the number of carers in NSW along with ensuring that they have the support and training required to achieve the best possible outcomes for the children in their care.
CEO of Adopt Change Renée Carter said that after tendering for the project, the organisation welcomes the appointment and looks forward to building on its years of advocacy, research and support services to ensure more children have access to better outcomes.
Ms Carter said, “Over the years Adopt Change has worked to support adoptive parents and foster carers to ensure the best possible outcomes for children in their care, and advocated for the rights of children to have access to safety, permanency and nurture in their family home. We introduced the ground breaking program ‘Trust Based Relational Intervention’ (from the Karyn Purvis Institute), and hosted workshops and our conference to share the expertise of speakers such as Sir Martin Narey and Dr Sylvia Rowlands. This project is an exciting opportunity to provide more support, training and resources to carers than ever before.
“We’re looking forward to building a program that provides guardians, adoptive parents and foster carers throughout NSW with the support they need to care for children across a variety of circumstances. A better experience for carers, through a number of supports and tailored training, will ultimately improve the life outcomes for children who have already faced challenges in their early life.”
Ms Carter added that program will support restoration with birth families where possible providing recruitment and training for the role of ‘restoration carers’. There will also be a focus on working with the appropriate agencies to assist with ensuring there are more Aboriginal carers available to support Aboriginal children.
The appointment of Adopt Change to lead the program comes after a tendering process, conducted over several months, which included the presentation of a detailed program approach.
My Forever Family NSW will start on 1st July.
For more information visit www.facs.nsw.gov.au/psp
For further information and media interviews please contact
Samantha Dybac, The PR Hub
E: samantha@theprhub.com.au
M: +61 411 251 373
Available for Interview: Renée Carter, CEO Adopt Change
Website: www.adoptchange.org.au
Instagram: www.instagram.com/adoptchangeau/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/adoptchangeau
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AdoptChangeAU
About Adopt Change and National Adoption Awareness Month (NAAM)
Adopt Change believe that every child has the right to grow up in a safe, nurturing and permanent family home, and that all families need the appropriate supports for children to thrive.
Adopt Change works to raise community awareness of the importance of meeting these rights for children; encourage reform and empower Australians to work towards all children having positive life outcomes. We support capacity building of families to ensure that vulnerable children are able to remain within their birth family where possible. When that is not possible or safe, we advocate for other permanent options.
We understand the impacts of impermanency and trauma and we work to support families through workshops and online resources; research; pre- and post-adoptive supports; trauma informed supports; information and community events; as well as working with governments, departments and the sector to address issues surrounding permanency for children.
National Adoption Awareness in Australia is coordinated by Adopt Change to promote reform of adoption laws and practices to facilitate a community where a child’s right to permanency is prioritised. NAAW was founded by Deborra-lee Furness in 2008.
About Renée Carter
Renée Carter is the CEO of Adopt Change and member of the Institute Advisory Group for the Independent Research Centre Institute of Open Adoption Studies (The University of Sydney).
Renée has a strong background in communications and executive management, along with board level experience in the corporate and not-for-profit sectors and is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (MAICD). Her experience includes three years as Chair of charity Child Abuse Prevention Service (CAPS), an organisation focused on early intervention, education and support of families and communities.
Renée is passionate about influencing policy and practice to deliver timely and effective outcomes for children, by garnering community, sector and government support.
