A toolkit to help homelessness services better support children and families has been launched today at the Inanna Inc Office in Narrabundah, an organisation that provides crisis accommodation support for Canberra families with support from the ACT Government.
ACT Minister for Children and Young People Joy Burch said the Children’s Toolkit – Kids R Central is a practical resource comprising a series of guides, activities and techniques to help services better engage and support children and families.
Responding to the July 2007 report: Finding their way home: Children’s experiences of homelessness by the Institute of Child Protection Studies (a joint initiative between the
Australian Catholic University and the ACT Department of Health, Housing and
Community Services), the Department committed to developing the toolkit in recognition of the vulnerability of children affected by homelessness.
“The report by the Institute of Child Protection Studies recognised the need to increase the focus on children in the delivery of homelessness services,” Ms Burch said.
“The needs and best interests of children and young people should be of paramount consideration when supporting children and families at risk of — or experiencing — homelessness, and this toolkit will assist organisations in doing this.”
The toolkit contains information on safety for children, strategies to engage children in difficult discussions; it provides workers with practical tools to use when working with children and their families. On a service level, the toolkit contains activities to assist services to discuss and identify service strengths, identify any gaps and set priorities. It also contains information on creating a child friendly service.
“We know from the research and its engagement with children that insecure accommodation and homelessness affects a young person’s health and wellbeing. It also affects their emotional state, their education and their connections with others.”
The toolkit is a joint initiative between the Department of Disability, Housing and Community Services and the Institute of Child Protection Studies. Ms Burch also acknowledged the Federal Government’s support for the project through the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.
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