OzChild Carer Awards – Celebrating our amazing Kinship Carers

Every year we recognise and acknowledge the commitment and dedication of OzChild carers at our annual carer dinner event.

While this year we cannot celebrate our carers in person, during Kinship Carers Week the recipient of the JC Butler Award is announced.

Nominations for the award are received from case workers on behalf of OzChild carers and the successful recipient chosen by OzChild’s Executive Leadership Team.

It is not surprising, with a Village of carers as strong as ours, nominations for this award are plentiful.

JC Butler Award 2020 – recognising our amazing kith and kin carers

This award acknowledges the role of our kinship carers in the spirit of JC Butler, a founding father of OzChild.

JC was very concerned for the changing social mores in Victoria in the 1920’s and could see the breakdown of families, not just poverty, was creating a new cohort of children in need.

Understanding the power of family, he lobbied hard to support the establishment of the widow’s pension so mothers could afford to keep children in the home.

The spirit of JC Butler lives on through the work of our organisation and through the wonderful work of our kinship carers. This award recognises a kinship carer who makes sure through their personal effort that kith and kin can be cared for by those closest to them.

Teresa and her husband Graham have taken on the care of two of Graham’s 3rd cousin’s. Both young people have a significant trauma history. Consistently demonstrating her strong values of respect, honesty, responsibility and kindness, Teresa is a deserving recipient of the JC Butler Award. Read more.