Child Aware Conference 2019 announced

Families Australia has announced the date for the 6th Child Aware Approaches Conference, to be held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on Thursday, 16th to Friday, 17th May 2019. Conference participants will engage in interactive conversation and build momentum on the National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children and its successor plan beyond 2020. Abstract submissions are currently open. Questions relating to the conference should be directed to Families Australia Deputy CEO, Stella Conroy by phone on (02) 6273 4885 or by email stella.conroy@familiesaustralia.org.au.
 

Time for national action on kinship care

Kinship care advocacy groups, frontline practitioners, researchers and non-government and government stakeholders met at the Australian Human Rights Commission in Sydney on Thursday, 23rd August to begin mapping a blueprint for improving services, support and outcomes for kinship carers and the children they support. The Forum agreed that support for children in kinship care and their carers should be provided in a systemic way, noting the diverse pathways that bring them together, and strongly endorsed the need for public awareness and recognition of the significant role played by kinship carers. Additionally, a call was made for a national peak body to ensure that kinship carers and the children in their care have a voice. A range of practical suggestions also emerged, including: creating a carer hub where information and resources can be accessed and shared, collection of national data about children in both informal and statutory kinship care, the development of resources including financial resources and the provision of individualised packages to provide for children in care and for casework support, and creating a space for children’s voices. Read more on learnings from the Forum.
 

Findings on young people returning to sentenced detention

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare released the Young people returning to sentenced youth justice supervision 2016–17 report that shows the majority of young people do not return to sentenced supervision, but that young people released from sentenced detention - rather than community-based supervision - are more likely to return to sentenced supervision. Of those released from sentenced detention, 59% returned within 6 months, and 82% within 12 months. During the period covered in the report, young people in Queensland aged 17 or older were dealt with in the adult criminal justice system, and were not eligible for a return to sentenced youth justice supervision, which the report notes could result in an overall under-count in the rate of returns. The data available for Queensland shows young people with more than 1 supervised sentence was close to half (45%). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people were more likely to return to sentenced supervision controlling for other factors.
 

New app for carers

Carer Connect is a web and mobile app that provides foster and kinship carers with access to important information about children in their care, allowing foster and kinship carers to: view relevant information and documentation to gain an understanding of how the needs of the children in their care can best be supported, upload pictures of their home and family that can be shown to children when they are transitioning to a new placement and, make contributions to the digital life story for children and young people in their care through kicbox. The app will be made available to carers from late September.
 

What non-physical intimate abuse can look like

There's No Excuse for Abuse is a website developed by Our Watch that aims to raise community awareness of the types of non-physical abuse that women can face in intimate relationships, including financial, social, emotional and technological abuse, and what this can look like. The website also has links to a men's referral service that is available nationally.
 

Guide for young people to communicate safely about suicide

Orygen: The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health have published a resource guide that provides tools and tips for young people to help them communicate safely online about suicide. The #chatsafe guide has been developed in partnership with young people to provide support to those who might be responding to suicide-related content posted by others or for those who might want to share their own feelings and experiences with suicidal thoughts, feelings or behaviours. The guidelines may also provide practical assistance to parents, educators, and those who provide support to young people engaging in online activities.
 

Government submissions open - have your say on policies affecting families 

The Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee is conducting an inquiry into the Fair Work Amendment (Family and Domestic Violence Leave) Bill 2018 (the Bill), which seeks to insert a new entitlement in the National Employment Standards to five days of unpaid family and domestic violence leave to ensure consistency in entitlements for employees in the national system. From 1 August 2018, all industry Awards provide for five days of unpaid family and domestic violence leave. The Bill would provide for the same entitlement for employees not covered by Awards. Submissions are invited in response to the Bill until Monday, 24th September.

The House of Representatives Select Committee on Intergenerational Welfare Dependence is accepting submissions on matters relating to welfare dependence of families and outcomes for children. The Committee is inquiring into: factors preventing parents from gaining employment; impacts of intergenerational unemployment on children; the important role of parents as ‘first teachers’; the impact, if any, of welfare in creating disadvantage; the impact, if any, of welfare in creating disadvantage; and recommendations for breaking cycles of disadvantage; measuring the effectiveness of evidence-based interventions; better coordination of family support. 
 

Help inform improvements for therapeutic residential care services

There is still time to contribute to the national survey into therapeutic residential care being conducted by the Australian Institute of Family Studies. Your insights and feedback will help inform improvements within therapeutic residential care services around Australia. One representative from each service organisation that offers therapeutic residential care is asked to take part and describe the structure, staffing and therapeutic elements of the service. The survey closes 5th October. The survey is voluntary, confidential and should take less than 20 minutes.
 

Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month 2019 community grants open

Applications are now open for community grants of up to $5000 to support events, projects and activities during Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month in May 2019 that aim to: raise awareness about the occurrence and impacts of domestic and family violence in Queensland, provide information about help available, promote partnerships and collaboration across the community, educate Queenslanders about supporting respectful relationships and developing a culture of non-violence, and empower family, friends, neighbours and colleagues of victims to take steps they might not otherwise take to respond to domestic and family violence. In particular, events, projects or activities that target people who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex or Queer are encouraged in 2019. Find out more and apply. Applications close Friday, 26th October. 
 

New comprehensive data tool provides insights into social services

The Ask Izzy Open Data Platform is a data tool that provides insights into the supply and demand of services such as housing, food, health and more across Australia. Using location-based data from Infoxchange sources, as well as data sets from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the platform gives a comprehensive view of the need and reasons for people seeking support from community and social services. The platform displays information on an interactive map, with overlays of data sets from multiple sources. The data can then be downloaded for use elsewhere. Find out more about what data is accessible. A free webinar will be held on Wednesday, 3rd October to teach participants how to use the platform and show some of the insights that can be gathered - register now.

Regional Australia would benefit most from raises to income payments

The ACOSS and Deloitte Analysis of the impact of raising benefit rates has found regional Australian communities would benefit most if government raised the rate of Newstart, Youth Allowance and related payments by $75 a week. Not only would the size of the economy increase in line with the rate of government spending modelled in the analysis, the report also suggests the extra consumer spending resulting from the raise would push up wages and create 12,000 extra jobs. The report notes that although these prosperity dividends do exist, they will fade over time, and that "the compelling reasons to adopt this reform revolve more around fairness" with "the overwhelming bulk of relative improvements in disposable incomes going to Australia’s lowest income families." The report finds a close correlation between the areas with lowest per capita income across Australia - mostly regional - and the proposed boost to payments, especially as unemployment rates tend to be higher outside capital cities. Read the report.

Changes to cross-examining DFV victims in court

Amendments to the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) are currently before the Senate. The amendments prohibit convicted, charged and alleged perpetrators of domestic and family violence from directly cross-examining their victims during court proceedings in family law matters, including child custody and property settlements, and require that cross-examinations must be conducted by a legal representative. The amendments aim to protect victims from re-traumatisation and enable victims to provide clear and reliable evidence in legal proceedings. Find out more.
 

Legislation bans non-consensual sharing of private images

The Enhancing Online Safety (Non-Consensual Sharing of Intimate Images) Bill 2018 has now passed both Houses, banning both the non-consensual sharing of intimate images as well as threats to do so on websites and social networks as well as through services such as email or MMS. The Office of the eSafety Commissioner is able to issue a notice that requires the removal of non-consensually posted intimate image within 48 hours, after which non-compliant individuals can be fined $105,000 and corporations up to $525,000. Amendments to the Criminal Code Act 1995 allow that perpetrators who transmit private sexual material can be imprisoned for up to five years.

The trials and triumphs of kinship caring - in conversation with a relative/kinship carer

In 2008, Jane was a young single parent of three children, living in New Zealand. A phone call from her mother one afternoon changed her and her children’s lives. In an instant, she became a single parent of six children. “My mother delivered my nephews and niece to New Zealand from Australia and we were instantly a family of seven.” Read more.

If you know of a program, group or organisation that should be In the Spotlight, 
please contact Lorraine Dupree.