Shining a Light on Kinship Care
The Association of Children's Welfare Agencies (ACWA) welcomes kinship care expert Dr Lucy Peake, CEO of United Kingdom charity Grandparents Plus, to Australia for a three-week national tour examining how we can best support kinship families in our community.
Kinship care is the fastest growing type of out-of-home care in Australia, with around 23,000 children in formal out-of-home care currently being cared for by members of their extended family, whether grandparents, uncles, aunties or siblings. At least four times as many children also live in kinship care under informal arrangements.
The tour, which commenced this week in Tasmania, is funded through a grant from the Creswick Foundation and will see Dr Peake present at various fora and conferences around the country on issues relating to this type of care.
During these events, Dr Peake will share details of the work her organisation is undertaking, through its Kinship Connected program, to support the often complex needs of kinship families. She will also be taking the opportunity hear from local practitioners about Australian-based initiatives that are making a positive difference to the lives of children in kinship care, and the grandparents and other relatives who step in to raise children when their parents are unable to care for them.
Dr Peake says, "I've been invited because of the work Grandparents Plus does to transform support for kinship families, and I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to share our fantastic work and to meet people who are working so hard to make change happen for kinship carers here in Australia".
Dr Peake's tour will culminate in Sydney on September 9, where she will address a Kinship Care Forum being hosted by ACWA as part of NSW Foster & Kinship Care Week.
Visit ACWA's website: www.acwa.asn.au/kinship-care-shared-learning-visit-by-dr-lucy-peake-of-grandparents-plus/for the dates and locations of Dr Peake's tour.
The Association of Children's Welfare Agencies is the NSW peak body representing non-government organisations that provide services to vulnerable children, young people and their families.
