Kin Raising Kids Tasmania Inc in Gawler, Tasmania | Community organisation

Kin Raising Kids Tasmania Inc

Locality: Gawler, Tasmania

Phone: +61 428 144 076

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25.01.2022 He saved 669 children from the Holocaust - now watch the audience when his secret is revealed.

24.01.2022 Kinship Carers - please listen to Premier Gutweins announcement from the 40 minute mark

24.01.2022 A national report into child protection in Australia released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare lacks important information about the safety of Tasmanian children. The number of children who may be in need of care in Tasmania was missing from the Child protection in the time of COVID-19 report due to "a high number of initial assessments in process and delays in recording their outcome in Tasmania", while every other state provided data. Across the rest of the country the report illustrated national trends signalling a shackled availability of child services during the pandemic coupled with an increase in notifications of children possibly in trouble once pandemic restrictions eased and the possibility the pandemic may have contributed to the likelihood of child abuse and neglect.

24.01.2022 Isnt it wonderful what some other governments do to support kinship children.

24.01.2022 The Examiner Tasmania June 26 2020 OPINION: We must ensure that children and their kinship carers are properly supported Rosemary Armitage- Local News...Continue reading

24.01.2022 https://www.theadvocate.com.au//child-safety-system-fail/ JULY 22 2020 - 5:00PM Anglicare Tasmania releases report on states child safety system Emily Jarvie...Continue reading

23.01.2022 KRK would like to thank all those that attended our AGM today. Below is a message shared to us from Minister Roger Jaensch

22.01.2022 New report documents experiences of homeless Tasmanian children during pandemic

21.01.2022 A Tasmanian advocacy group for kinship carers has challenged the government to ensure family support measures comply with a United Nations charter. President of Kin Raising Kids Ross Henderson said kinship carers and their children were often forced into a life of poverty, drawing on the resources of the carer. Tasmanian informal grandparent carers do not get access to a government-funded Grandparents Payment available in other states.... This payment is designed to financially help grandparents who are raising their grandchildren, as they are not eligible for the payments that foster parents receive when they care for children through Child Protection Services mechanisms. Grandparents are often motivated by wanting to keep their grandchildren out of the foster care system. Butt unlike foster parents, grandparents raising their grandchildren have to find all of the money to raise the children themselves. Mr Henderson said they often have to exist on a pension, or whatever savings they might have. But signing on to the United Nations Charter on the Rights of the Child would give every family baseline level of support, he said. Mr Henderson was speaking in response to the plight of Launceston grandmother Angela Chamberlain, who detailed her struggles with the digital divide during lockdown. Ms Chamberlain said she did not receive any support in raising her grandchildren, despite seeking it from groups such as the Smith Family, because she lives in a private rental outside Launcestons northern suburbs. Lockdown compounded the struggles she was already facing raising a child as a grandmother. Despite popular discourse, Mr Henderson said grandparents were not voluntary carers and because they were classed as informal they did not receive the support they were entitled. "These under-resourced heroes are provided no information where to seek assistance or guidance," he said. "Short term assistance does exist, for a couple of months, to link kinship carers to existing services in their communities. "However, they are still trying to come to grips with the upheaval to their lives in that time, settling the child or children into a routine, dealing with medical and dental appointments, schools, out of hours activities, etc. Mr Henderson said Kins raising Kids believed that every child who cant live with their biological family should receive equal support, whether they live with foster carers of grandparents. "It is beyond belief that children in out of home care would be split into different groups, with one group receiving non means tested benefits, a second group a different set of benefits and the third group little or nothing," he said. In late 2019, Kin Raising Kids briefed Legislative Councillors on their work and the issues faced by informal grandparent carers, which has been made more complex during COVID-19.

21.01.2022 We have had to make some adjustments over the past couple of months with committee meetings. It was nice to meet in person today as we continue to lobby for the rights of the children in out of home care.

20.01.2022 I welcome the Tasmanian Governments acceptance of my recommendations regarding the searches of children and young people in custody in Tasmania. Its pleasing... that numbers of strip searches are declining as a result, However, I remain concerned at the proportion of children being strip searched, particularly Aboriginal children and I am continuing to monitor the situation. The full implementation of my recommendations will require legislative change. I have been advised there is work underway to develop the legislative and other reforms. I look forward to the opportunity to contribute to this process. Read my media release: https://www.childcomm.tas.gov.au//CCYP-Media-Strip-Search-

20.01.2022 Public release of the $130,000 Informal Kinship Care stalled as grandparents wait for action Isabel Bird Grandparents caring for kids abandoned by their parents are wondering when a $130,000 state government report into informal kinship care will be released to the public.... The government commissioned the Informal Kinship Care Review last year to look into the experiences of informal kinship carers to see how they should best offer a new kinship carer and liason support pilot. Informal carers are those who who take on the primary care of children whose parents will not or are unable to care for them, and who do so without the financial support and services of the state government. The report was due to be released in November last year but almost four months later Kin Raising Kids are questioning if the report will ever be released. Kin Raising Kids secretary Frank Tyers said it was very disappointing that this cohort of mostly older people, some in real financial and emotional struggles, were still waiting for help from the system. The group has long campaigned for more state support for the children in their care, resulting in a financial package to undertake the Informal Kinship Care report. They now continue to wait to see how the system will offer improvements to grandparents, other kin, and the children in their care. "It is very disappointing. We are worried it will just be swept under the carpet, because it will cost the government too much money, or just be too hard," Mr Tyers said. "Support does happen to some degree through the Advice and Referral Line, but that line is really only interested in formal carers."

20.01.2022 Here is a new chance to grab some holiday vouchers. Good luck

18.01.2022 Just whos looking after our most at-risk children? Because what youre about to see, quite frankly, is appalling. #9ACA

16.01.2022 Help the Tasmanian Government develop Tasmania’s first Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy for 0 to 25-year-olds! Have your say in the Child and Youth Wellbeing ...Strategy consultation, which I was honoured to help launch today. The Government wants the views and ideas of Tasmanian children, young people, their caregivers, and the service sector to help develop the strategy. You can have your say by getting creative, sending Premier Peter Gutwein a postcard (he's promised to read every single one!), completing a short survey, or making a formal submission in response to the discussion paper. Don't miss out on being heard! Visit https://wellbeing.tas.gov.au/ now to have your say. Pic: At today's consultation launch - Tania Hunt of YNOT, Premier Peter Gutwein, and Leanne McLean, Commissioner for Children and Young People.

16.01.2022 Executive Committee members at it all day today. FYI the 5 members you see (one on zoom) raise 11 children between them.

13.01.2022 If youre a grandparent responsible for a childs ongoing care, we understand you may need tailored support. Thats why we have Grandparent Advisers to help yo...u. They not only work with grandparents, but with all non-parent carers to help you understand the support you can get. Call our Grandparent Adviser Line on Freecall 1800 245 965. This is free if you call from your home phone. More info: https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au//centrelink/grandpare

13.01.2022 This definitely shows concerns for our present CS system where support for and around the child would be a far better option than simply removing the child.

13.01.2022 Dear Treasurer, please consider the increasing baby boom amongst grandparents and kinship Carers. We are raising second generation children. Validate us so that we may have the support and resources to keep our children on track. Then those children can have children, those children can have children and BOOM they will all be set to boost our economy. From - a boomer

12.01.2022 The Informal Kinship Care Review is welcomed by Kin Raising Kids Tasmania who continue to raise awareness of the difficulties faced by informal kinship carers. Pleas from grandparent carers for government assistance have been heard, with a review led by a top-level bureaucrat into the extent and quality of supports available to informal kinship carers well underway. Former state service management director Frank Ogle is consulting widely for the Informal Kinship Care Review t...hat is designed to improve services and develop the first care and liaison program specifically for informal carers. Kin Raising Kids have long called for greater government support for informal kin carers who save children from the out of home care system, with the group continuing to raise awareness about the inequities that exist between foster, formal kinship and informal kinship care. Secretary Frank Tyers said the review will hopefully address deficiencies in the state system and was a move welcomed by its grandparent and other family kin carers. One deficiency includes foster children receiving government-funded medical funds and assistance, whilst children in informal care receive none. "We have been pursuing this for a while and supporting Minister [Roger] Jaensch for enabling it to happen," Mr Tyers said. "He is obviously trying to get something going to support the need but others are still saying 'we've never done it this way'," he said. "There is still scepticism about the review, because how many reviews within Child Safety have happened over the last five years and to what end." Mr Tyers said a likely outcome might be a more suitable support service for informal carers, instead of the currently existing Strong Families Safe Kids Advice and Referral Line. "Many informal carers are fearful of child safety [department] and are not interested in approaching that service to seek advice," he said. "They don't know where they can get legal assistance, don't know of any avenues for financial support. Many get the kiddies dumped on them and they just don't know where to turn for help." It is understood that in March, Human Services Minister Roger Jaensch provided $200,000 to the department for the review, with $70,000 of this funding received by Foster and Kinship Carer's Association of Tasmania. The review will determine how a new support pilot would work and meet the needs of carers. It will identify changes to enhance the Grandchildren Living with Grandparents Program, and look at the effectiveness or otherwise of existing programs. Mr Ogle is receiving feedback from interested parties who would like to share their experiences of being an informal kinship carer and would like to contribute to the review. They have until 30 September and can contact Mr Ogle by phone or email [email protected]

12.01.2022 * GOLD STAR SERIES 3 * Unlike foster carers, Grandcarers have generally not sought to become primary or even full time carers of their Grandchildren. Grandcare...rs are exhausted. Emotionally, physically and financially stretched to almost beyond the limit, continually fighting for recognition and validation. What is the cost of failing to care for these precious families? Our government need to do the math! https://mailchi.mp/409545953256/we-need-your-help-1359526

12.01.2022 Tasmania’s law allowing the physical punishment of children is nearly a century old. What this law means in practice is that a parent or a person in the place ...of a parent who is accused of assaulting a child or young person aged 18 or under, can use the defence that what they did was by way of correction and that the force used was "reasonable in the circumstances". In The Mercury today, I argue that it is high time for section 50 of Tasmania’s Criminal Code Act 1924 to be changed or abolished. Read my article here: bit.ly/physical-punishment

11.01.2022 4:00PM Kin Raising Kids says Tasmanian system fails kinship carers Caitlin Jarvis Local News MORE SUPPORT: Kin Raising Kids says grandmothers like Debbie Cashion, who are informally raising their grandchildren are falling through...Continue reading

11.01.2022 Be part of a study that examines processing and the FASD brain! This is for children ages 9 + 13 who are diagnosed on the FASD spectrum and is online. Details in flyer:

10.01.2022 Conveyance Allowance - a payment for eligible families to help with part of the cost to transport their child from home, to their school or bus stop by private car. Click on the link below for more information and an application form.

10.01.2022 We would like to thank Senator Abetz and Minister Roger Jaensch for a productive meeting yesterday with members of the Kin Raising Kids committee.

09.01.2022 When Liam* and his sister played hide-and-seek at a party, their rules were a little different to how most kids played the game. "I was child protection services and I was trying to take her away, and she would hide," Liam says.

08.01.2022 MANAGING THE COMPLEX EMOTIONS MANY PARENTING GRANDPARENTS EXPERIENCE Raising a second generation brings many rewards, and many challenges. Some of the major rew...ards are the fulfillment of giving your grandchildren a sense of safety and security, developing a deeper relationship with them, and keeping the family together. To achieve this, requires major adjustments for both the grandparents and the grandchildren. The prospect of raising grandchildren is bound to trigger a range of emotions. It is important to acknowledge and accept what you are feeling, both positive and negative. Don’t get down on yourself about any doubts or misgivings you might have. It is only natural to feel some ambivalence about child rearing at a time when you expected your responsibilities to be dwindling. These feelings most certainly don’t mean that you don’t love your grandchildren. While you may feel good about watching your grandkids grow, learn and feel a new sense of safety, it is hard to talk about some of the tougher feelings that may challenge you internally. Let’s take a look at some of them. * Stress and worry You may worry about how you will handle the additional responsibilities and what will happen to the grandchildren if something happens to you. You may also worry about finances and custody issues which can be very real barriers and obstacles for you to overcome. * Guilt You may feel guilty for and responsible for your child’s failures as a parent, second-guessing and regretting your own mistakes when you were a parent. This is an especially difficult feeling to talk about, yet, most parenting grandparents I have met acknowledge feeling guilty. * Grief and Sadness There are many losses that come with taking in your grandchildren, including the loss of your independence, freedom and privacy. You may also lose some of your friends who don’t think you should be raising your grandchildren or who are enjoying their retirement in a way you cannot. For example, you may no longer be able to take vacations or short day trips, or even attend parties. As time passes, you and they may experience that you have less and less in common. * Resentment or anger You may feel angry or resentful toward your grandchild’s parents for leaving you with the responsibility of caring for their child. You might even feel resentful with old friends who are enjoying the retirement you once envisioned. Being a parenting grandparent is physically demanding for sure, but even more challenging is the emotional exhaustion you may experience with the tough feelings I just identified. When you are preoccupied with the daily demands of raising grandchildren, it is easy to let your own needs fall by the wayside. But taking care of yourself is a necessity, not a luxury. You can’t be a good caretaker when you’re overwhelmed, exhausted, and emotionally depleted. Plus, remember, your grandchildren often worry what will happen to them if something happens to you! Looking after your own emotional and physical health is how you get to a place of being calm and focused. 1) A healthy you means healthy grandchildren. Make it a priority to eat nutritious meals, exercise regularly, do deep breathing on a regular basis ( 5 minutes, three times a day), and try to get adequate sleep. Keep your doctor’s appointments and be sure you take any medications you are on as prescribed. 2) Ask your grandchildren for help. Kids are smarter and more capable then we give them credit for. Even young children can pick up after themselves and everyone can help out around the house. Use a wall chart to assign chores, so your grandchildren are clear about their responsibilities and you don’t have to nag them. After about two weeks of using it consistently, this will become a routine for them. Also, remember, children feel good about helping out, even if they complain a bit in the beginning. 3) Use me time to really nurture yourself. Carving out time to relax and do some fun things you like is important to avoiding burnout and depression. It also means you are role modeling for your grandchildren how important it is to take time for yourself. Set a specific time(s) in your weekly calendar for everybody to relax doing what they like on an individual basis. Doing this after homework but before bed time is a perfect way to wind down the day. You may want to call this ‘relaxation time.’ Don’t limit yourself to just this time, you may want to offer yourself some time just for yourself, but if you begin with family relaxation time, your grandchildren will respect your need to give yourself some time and attention.even if it is a simple bubble bath! 4) Confide in other people who you trust. Studies show that parenting grandparents who seek out others for support do the best at managing their stressors. This will give you a chance to work through your feelings and come to a place of acceptance regarding your situation. If you deny or ignore these feelings, they will come out in other ways and may affect your relationship with your grandchildren in a negative way. 5) Join support groups for grandparents raising grandchildren. There are many more support groups today, even phone support, then there were five years ago. Hearing from people who have been there can help both uplift your spirits and give you concrete suggestions for how to manage your situation successfully. Many times parenting grandparents will tell me how tired and exhausted they are from being so busy. They will often blame their busyness for preventing them from taking good care of themselves. One of my favorite quotes by Carl Bryan, speaks to this exquisitely: Taking good care of you means the people in your life will receive the best of you rather than what’s left of you! I encourage you to implement these five suggestions to ensure you are a physically, emotionally and spiritually strong, parenting grandparent. With Gratitude, Elaine

06.01.2022 We would like to thank Jacqui Lambie for meeting with members of Kin Raising Kids Tasmania today to discuss issues facing kinship Carers in Tasmania.

06.01.2022 OCTOBER 10 2020 - 9:10:20. Isobel Bird Heartbroken: Grandparents Anne and Tony Walters had a baby taken from their "stable home" by Child Safety and were then given a different child to care for informally. Photos: Simon Sturzaker. When grandparents Tony and Anne Walters were asked by their great-granddaughter to take primary care of her new born baby girl they immediately said yes....Continue reading

05.01.2022 Launceston grandmothers plea for help as kinship payments remain unchanged CRY FOR HELP: Prospect grandmother Debbie Cashion says now is the time for the state government to recognise kinship carers and instate a payment. Picture: Caitlin Jarvis CRY FOR HELP: Prospect grandmother Debbie Cashion says now is the time for the state government to recognise kinship carers and instate a payment. Picture: Caitlin Jarvis As she got older, Prospect grandmother Debbie Cashion thought...Continue reading

04.01.2022 Kin Raising Kids Tasmania executive committee met with Senator Eric Abetz to day in Devonport. (absent Wendy Janice Roberts). We come away feeling we had a sympathetic hearing.

03.01.2022 Productive meeting with Kin Raising Kids Tasmania Inc and Senator Carol Brown today at my office in Moonah. They are strong advocates for children who are unabl...e to live with their parents. I'm very supportive of Kin Raising Kids and making sure all children have the chance to reach their full potential.

01.01.2022 https://buysomethingtasmanian.com.au/tourism/voucher

01.01.2022 A Launceston grandmother is seeking more support for kinship carers after she was forced to send her grandson to school because she could not support him at home during the coronavirus pandemic. Angela Chamberlain recently underwent a kidney transplant and cant work due to her medical issues, but she has legal guardianship over her grandson Linkin. They are discriminating against my grandson because of a suburb....Continue reading

01.01.2022 AUGUST 24 2020 - 6:30PM Deaths of six infants and one child in North and North-West subject of inquest Emily Jarvie Actions of child safety services probed in infant deaths inquest...Continue reading