Kinship Care - web links and reference material

Relative care, also known as kinship care is the care provided by a relative, or member of a child's social network, when a child cannot live with his or her own parents. ‘Statutory', formal or public kinship placements occur when Child Protection intervention has occurred the Children's Court has placed the child on a Court Order. ‘Informal', ‘non-statutory' or private kinship care is the term used for those arrangements when the children are cared for by relatives or significant friends without Child Protection or Court involvement.

Further material available in Resources. You will also find useful information under Permanent Care, Foster Care and Adoption.

Web links for Grandparents

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren NSW (GRG NSW) :http://www.raisinggrandchildren.com.au/
GRG NSW is a resource for grandparents, relatives and kinship carers providing useful information on services, networks, tips, stories and support available to carers

Grandparents As Parents (GAP) :http://www.grandparentsasparents.com.au/
Good general information, as well as support which is most applicable to Queensland families.

Centrelink : http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/payments/parenting.htm
Parenting Payment is to help with the costs of caring for children. It is paid to the person who is the main carer of a child

Victoria

Kinship Care Services DHS  To locate and contact an office offering information and advice near you: http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/for-individuals/children,-families-and-young-people/kinship-foster-and-other-care/kinship-care/kinship-care-contacts

A number of kinship care services were established across Victoria in early 2010 with the following objectives:

• To more effectively harness the capacity of extended family networks to provide the best possible kinship care arrangements for children unable to live with their own parents.
• To assist more kinship carers to provide ongoing normative age appropriate life experiences for the child with the minimum level of professional intervention from the formal service system, building on their informal supports and other available community resources.
• To ensure that the kinship care placements arranged for the most vulnerable children as a result of child protection involvement are more effectively established, supported and monitored to ensure that they meet each child's ongoing safety, stability and developmental needs.

Children Youth and Families Department of Human Services (DHS) http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/for-individuals/children,-families-and-young-people

Information on programs such as Adoption, Child Protection, Placement & Support, Family Services, Family Violence, Sexual Assault, Youth Justice and Youth Services

Kinship Carers Victoria (accessed via Grandparents Victoria) http://www.grandparents.com.au/

Kinship Carers Victoria (KCV) is the peak body for all kinship carers.  KCV's role is to:

• Link individual kinship carer groups across the State for mutual benefit.
• Promote greater community awareness of kinship families, carers and children in kinship care in Victoria.
• Provide advice for government, organisations and the community on behalf of Victorian kinship carers about improving supports available for children in kinship care.
• Support the implementation and operations of the mainstream and Aboriginal kinship care program model in Victoria and any other future initiatives that improve the formal support services provided for children growing up in kinship care and their carers. Tel: 9372 2422

Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) http://www.education.vic.gov.au/earlychildhood/

Information for carers and parents abour early childhood services 0-8yo.

Office of the Child Safety Commissioner http://www.ocsc.vic.gov.au/

The Office of the Child Safety Commissioner provides advise to both the Minister for Community Services and the Minister for Children on issues impacting on the lives of children, particularly vulnerable children.

Mirabel Foundation http://www.mirabelfoudation.org.au/

Mirabel assists children 0-17, who have been orphaned or abandoned due to parents' illicit drug use and are now in the care of extended family or friends (kinship care). Mirabel provides advocacy, referrals and support to the children and their carers.

CREATE Foundation http://www.create.org.au

CREATE is the peak body for children and young people in care, providing support, information, advocacy, activities and opportunities.

MyTime Playgroups http://www.mytime.net.au/

MyTime groups provide peer support for parents, grandparents and others caring for children with a disability, developmental delay or chronic medical condition.

Carers Victoria http://www.carersvic.org.au/

Carers Victoria represents and provides support for family carers in Victoria.

My Child http://www.mychild.gov.au/

Information on different types of child care and how to get assistance with the cost of child care.  Includes a database to find child care centres in your local area, plus links to other useful websites about children's health and wellbeing, parenting and family support services.

Foster Care Association Victoria (FCAV) http://www.fcav.org.au/

FCAV provides information, support and advocacy to carers that ensure they can offer children and young people in their care a healing environment which assists the child or
young person to reach their full potential.

National

Family Relationships Online http://www.familyrelationships.gov.au/AboutYou/Carers/Pages/default.aspx

Information, links and resources for cares.

Post Adoption Resource Centre (NSW & ACT) http://www.bensoc.org.au/parc/

A service of The Benevolent Society that provides information, counselling and a range of other services to anyone affected by adoption throughout New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.

CLAN (Care Leavers of Australia Network) http://www.clan.org.au/

Care Leavers Australia Network (CLAN) is a support and advocacy group for people brought up in care away from their family as state wards in foster care, children's homes, orphanages or other institutions. CLAN is also for anyone who has a close family member who was placed in "care".

Adoption Research and Counselling Service (WA) http://www.adoptionwa.org.au/default.asp

ARCS provides professional counselling, support and information to anyone dealing with the challenges and opportunities in adoption, pre-adoption, step and blended families, foster families and families created through assisted reproductive technologies.

Beyond Blue http://www.beyondblue.org/ 

BeyondBlue  is a national, independent, non for profit organisation working to address issues associated with depression, anxiety and related disorders in Australia.

International

British Association for Adoption and Fostering
http://www.baaf.org.uk/

BAAF supports, advises and campaigns for better outcomes for children in care. The organisation works with everyone involved with adoption and fostering across the UK. It has regional and country offices in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, providing services to meet the needs of some of the UK's most vulnerable children and young people.

The Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.). http://www.adoptionsupport.org/index.php

C.A.S.E. is a private, non-profit adoptive family support center, providing therapy, support and education.

Center For Family Connections (USA)
http://www.kinnect.org/

Center For Family Connections (CFFC) is an educational and clinical resource center which provides training, education, advocacy, and clinical treatment to anyone associated with kinship care, adoption, foster care or guardianship.