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At Ozchild, we are committed to safeguarding children in all that we do. We truly believe every child deserves to be raised in a safe, respected and nurtured family environment to help them reach their full potential. This is why your donation is so important to us; it allows us to continue supporting those who need our help the most: infants and toddlers.

Our dedicated team work with some extremely disadvantaged families, helping them transform their lives. This would not be possible without people believing in igniting change.  

In every community, there are hidden, often unspoken stories of struggle and resilience. Our SafeCare team hears these stories daily from the families they support through this unique early intervention program.

For kids like Luke*, removing them from parents where there is a risk of neglect, harm or abuse is the best thing. However, in the long term, with the right support systems in place and with the help of programs aimed at improving parenting skills, seeing one return to the care of one’s parents is the ultimate goal.

Luke’s parents Jamie* and Chloe*, had been together for more than a year when they found out Chloe was pregnant. Sadly, the news that they were to be parents did not stop them from their regular substance abuse.

Jamie and Chloe never knew what a healthy family environment looked like. They weren’t exposed to positive influences in life, and neither had role models to look up to. When Luke was born, Jamie was excited; he had a son. Although Luke was in Jamie and Chloe’s care, and they cared for him as best they could, they were not able to prioritise their son over their addictions.

At just one year old, Luke was removed from his parents and placed with a foster care family. At the age of two, Luke was diagnosed with Foetal Alcohol Syndrome.

Meanwhile, Luke’s parents, Jamie and Chloe, separated, and neither parent maintained regular contact with Luke. Jamie soon became homeless and jobless and had no concerns about himself, Luke or anyone else until six months later when he suffered a brain aneurysm and was placed in an induced coma for three weeks to help aid his recovery.

While in a coma, Jamie had detoxed from his drug use and spent another three months in the hospital learning to function again. It was during this time that he was able to reflect on his life choices and realised he had been given a second chance at life, a life he knew must include his son.

When Jamie was discharged from the hospital, he contacted Child Protection to start the process and find out what he needed to do to be allowed to see Luke. After many meetings and discussions, Jamie was referred to the OzChild SafeCare parenting program to begin his journey to reunite with his now three-year-old son.

Being a parent wasn’t something that came naturally to Jamie. That’s why he needed all the support and guidance he could get from the SafeCare Educators to learn how to become a good parent to Luke. Jamie gained valuable skills through the SafeCare program that helped him interact positively with Luke. He learned the importance of maintaining a daily routine, how to care for Luke’s medical condition and when to seek emergency help.

Your donation, no matter the size can help break the cycle of disadvantage, changing lives, one child, one family at a time.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome not only affects a child’s mental stability but also hinders a child’s physical growth, and Luke, at just three years old, was facing many growth challenges due to his medical condition.

Jamie often felt overwhelmed and was at a loss as to how to manage Luke, especially when he was having a temper tantrum. Given Luke’s medical condition, he had a hard time controlling his emotions and often just screamed and got angry at his dad.

“Sometimes, when Luke gets all worked up, it’s like trying to figure out a puzzle with no instructions. Sometimes, it’s tough to know what will help him feel better. But thanks to the help from my SafeCare Educator Megan, I figured him out, one day at a time,” says Jamie

This father-and-son duo was starting from scratch; Jamie had not cared for Luke since he was a baby, so interacting with him was a whole new world in which Jamie was very happy to be a part. Through the SafeCare program, Jamie learned the importance of spending quality time together and learned strategies for interacting with Luke through play. Despite facing numerous challenges in his own life, determined to keep Luke in his life, Jamie worked hard to pull his life together and even managed to find a job at a local cafe. However, as a single parent working shifts, Jamie faced difficulty affording safety latches and gates when SafeCare Educator Megan pointed out the lack of safety measures around Jamie’s apartment.

We know reuniting kids with their biological parents delivers the best outcome. Your donation today can help us set parents up for success in the SafeCare program, by making sure they have everything they need to create a safe environment, free from neglect or harm. 

Thanks to the generosity of OzChild supporters, the SafeCare program was able to help Jamie purchase and install child locks on cupboard doors and secure a bookshelf to the loungeroom wall. They also purchased some children’s books and special interactive toys that Jamie and Luke could enjoy together. Being able to help Jamie in this small way meant he was one step closer to successfully completing the SafeCare program, a step that would see Luke returned to his care.

At OzChild we are committed to improving the skills of parents so children can stay safely at home.  SafeCare is doing just that and more building safer, stronger, healthier families with parents who are better equipped to care for their children.

Please call us today on 03 9695 2237 to donate over the phone or click here to donate securely online. 

We really hope you can help. 

Together we can make a difference. 

*While the story in this letter is based on true events, names have been changed and stock images used to protect the identity of this family.