Foster and Kinship Care Week Picnic - a chance to say thank you
Steve's update: A family event to say thank you to carers was a highlight of Foster and Kinship Care Week in September, and I was so pleased to be able to take part.
Each year, Foster and Kinship Care week kicks off with family picnics held in parks and showgrounds across the state.
It was an honour to participate in the Sydney event held in Penrith on 10 September and to meet so many women and men and the children they care for.
Foster care week, and the picnic in particular, is a way for government and non-government care agencies to say thank you for the extraordinary work of foster, relative and kinship carers, guardians, and adoptive parents who bring stability to the lives of children and young people in their care.
Through no fault of their own, some children are unable to live safely with their families or have no family to care for them. Finding safe, loving and nurturing homes is vital for their future.
More than 14,000 children in NSW live in the care provided by government or non-government agencies.
These kids need love and support. And we need a carer community that is also supported, so that they can communicate this to other potential carers – along with the wonderful difference they can make in the lives of vulnerable children.
At the picnic held at Penrith Showground, children and carers had a great day, enjoying food, rides and other entertainment.
Thanks to the organisers, My Forever Family NSW.
A big thank you also goes to the many volunteers, including from the Office of the Children’s Guardian, who brought their smiles and donned aprons and wielded tongs at the hotplate.
If you have room in your home and your life to become a carer, remember that care can be part-time and emergency care through to long-term care options.
Families come in all shapes and sizes, and there are different types of care to suit individual and family circumstances.
