Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare

Desperate families say the few hundred dollars they get each week is nowhere near enough to give children the lives they deserve.

Foster parent Richard Ayoub, who grew up in out-of-home care from the age of seven, says he usually goes “50 to 80 percent” above the provided carer allowance when he fosters children to ensure they have what they need.

“There’s no way the money you get would be able to pay for these kids. Living is impossible,” he said.

“We are getting damaged children. Many of these children come into care after experiencing years of trauma, neglect, instability, abuse and repeated placement breakdowns.

“These children need experiences. They need to go to events, they need to be able to be integrated into the family… these kids just want to belong. Foster care is not simply about covering the basics of food, clothing and housing.”

Read more at https://loom.ly/15id-vo

A new report from Anglicare Tas describes the profound and long term impacts that homelessness and housing insecurity are having on Tasmanian children.

The report calls on the Tasmanian Government to:
👉 ensure that families escaping domestic and family violence are prioritised for housing, even if they are not living in a shelter
👉 create a process that provides wrap-around support for families who need to move regions due to housing insecurity
👉 identify and expand opportunities for extending school-based support for children affected by housing insecurity
👉 extend the “Ticket to play” initiative to include creative activities for eligible children, and
👉continue to make public transport free for children beyond 30 June 2026.

The report also asks that the government adopt longer term measres sch as increasing the stock of family-friendly social housing and increasing the supply of crisis, transitional and long-term housing for victim-survivors of domestic and family violence, including accommodation designed for families. The Australian Government is urged to increase income spport payments above the poverty line.

Learn more at https://loom.ly/bR95H-s

The Centre's new training session Culturally Responsive Case Management Practice with Culturally and Racially Marginalised Communities, is officially launching next month.

Develop your skills through an interactive workshop experience, tailored to support practitioners working with children, young people and families from CARM backgrounds within the Victorian family services context.

The training emphasises practical, values‑informed application through realistic case scenarios and guided reflection, supporting culturally safe, respectful practice grounded in child‑centred, trauma‑informed and rights‑based frameworks, including the Best Interests Case Practice Model.

Next session: Thursday June 25, 9:30 am – 1:30 pm
Cost: $260
🔗Register and learn more: https://loom.ly/zyiMpXY

We're closing out our 'Artwork at the Centre' showcase with the beautiful Bushfoods by Angie Cleaver (Angie's indigenous art).

Featuring Indigenous flora and fauna: Banksia, Wattle, Bush Plum and the iconic kookaburra, this artwork is full of life and colour. As Angie says, "a good laugh a day is good for your health." 😄

A huge thank you to Angie for sharing her incredible talent and stories with our Centre. We're so proud to have these works on our walls.

Explore more of Angie's work: https://loom.ly/8Z38O-g

Trauma can shape every aspect of a child or young person’s life, influencing their development, relationships, and overall wellbeing. The Centre's new 'Trauma Informed Practice' training supports practitioner's understanding of how to respond effectively to trauma is essential to preventing further harm and supporting positive, long-term outcomes.

This highly interactive training provides you with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to work in a trauma-informed way. You will explore how trauma presents in children and young people and develop practical strategies to respond with empathy, insight, and purpose in your everyday practice.

This course is delivered online in two 3.5-hour sessions across 2 days:
Wednesday 17 June: 9:30 am – 1:00 pm
Thursday 18 June: 9:30 am – 1:00 pm

Cost: $430
🔗Register: https://loom.ly/0kdEOf8

Do you know a residential carer or team that deserves recognition for their outstanding work with children and young people in care?

Nominations for the 2026 Residential Care Awards are now open!

There are 7 separate awards open to teams and individuals including:

Residential Carer Award ➡️Awarded to a residential carer who has demonstrated outstanding dedication and commitment to their role, which has led to positive changes to the lives of children and young people in residential care.

Residential Team Award ➡️Awarded to a residential team that has made a meaningful and lasting difference in the lives of children and young people living in residential care.

Head to https://loom.ly/nbelTIU to start the process. Nominations close Friday June 26.

The Centre's 'Young Person Violence in the Home (YPVITH) Neurodiverse Affirming Practice with Young People and Their Families', is a three-hour interactive training for professionals from all disciplines and service sectors working with neurodivergent young people using violence in the home.

Through this workshop, participants will understand and explore:
• Common presentations of neurodivergence in young people, in particular Autism and ADHD, and how sensory, interoceptive, executive functioning and social/communication challenges contribute to nervous system dysregulation.
• How neurodiversity shapes family dynamics and contributes to patterns of aggressive behaviours.
• Interpersonal and relational aspects of the work, including practical engagement and therapeutic strategies.
• Regulation strategies that can be applied to whole of family safety planning.

Please note: this training is not designed for parents or carers or for practitioners supporting young people using violence in contexts outside of the home, such as community or peer violence or intimate partner violence.

Date & Time: 10 June 2026, 9.30am - 12.30pm
Cost: $230

👉Learn more & register now: https://loom.ly/5c6brVY

Build your confidence working with people experiencing family violence with the Centre's 'Putting MARAM into Practice workshop'– a workshop for all workforces to develop MARAM skills.

This four-hour interactive workshop is delivered by trainers with expert MARAM knowledge or firsthand experience of Putting MARAM into Practice as clinicians. This online session will support practitioners in their ability to:
• Build confidence using the MARAM tools and undertaking intermediate risk assessments.
• Strengthen their ability to analyse the level of risk and manage family violence risk.
• Apply a trauma-informed lens and understand the reasons why a person experiencing violence may not engage, or struggle to engage, or may even begin to disengage, when we try to work with them about violence they are experiencing
• Align case notes with MARAM’s evidence base and language and help to ensure their case notes will have a positive impact on the person experiencing violence if they were to read them in future.

Date & Time: 16 June 2026, 9.30am to 1.30pm
Cost: $260 inc. GST per person
👉 Register and learn more: https://loom.ly/V54vGsM

Entries are officially closed for our National Families Week Art Competition! We would like to extend a massive thank you to all participants and their amazing work. 😊

🎨Take a look at all of the amazing submissions, and vote for your favourite: https://loom.ly/g72uh08