“Everyone needs a house to live in, but a supportive family is what builds a home.” Anthony Liccione
While we appreciate and give thanks to our kin and kith carers every day, special weeks like Kinship Carers Week provide us with a wonderful opportunity to highlight the incredibly important role family plays in caring for children and young people.
The value of our carers cannot be underestimated! Every day they are making a difference in the lives of children and young people keeping them connected to family, giving them the best chance to thrive.
The number of children placed with relatives has increased markedly in Australia over the last few decades. Relative or kinship care fits with the importance of children maintaining connections with their families.
Kin and kith carers are essential in helping prevent an even greater rise in children entering foster care, residential care, even homelessness. Children living in relative/kinship care in Victoria makeup 52% of those in out-of-home care.
There are a myriad of benefits to placing young people in the care of family members, preserving cultural identity and community connections, along with maintain connections to siblings ensure children and young people have a sense of belonging and higher levels of permanency.
Kinship Carers Week provides a wonderful opportunity to say thank you and shine a light on the valuable contribution these carers make.
Read about our commitment to support our Village of Carers through OzChild’s Thriving Families Carer Strategy and how we are working in partnership with our carers.
Meet some of the OzChild kinship carers committed to keeping kids with family, achieving better outcomes for children and young people.
Foster Care Week is celebrated in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia from 11-17 September. We are both humbled and amazed by the enormous contribution of our village of carers who open their homes, their hearts and their lives giving back to the community so selflessly.
Child maltreatment is a pervasive issue that casts a long, dark shadow over the lives of countless young Australians. It’s a problem that transcends social, economic, and cultural boundaries, leaving a lasting impact on victims and society as a whole.
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