Contact Us
Contact Us
Close

Families Together

Intensive Family Preservation

Overview

The Family Preservation Families Together service is based on the understanding that it’s in the child’s best interests to remain in the care of their family, wherever this is a safe option. The service targets families with children aged from birth to 18 years who meet the eligibility criteria. The focus is to improve children’s safety, placement permanency and wellbeing, to prevent unnecessary placement in the Out of Home Care system for families referred by the NSW Department of Communities and Justice and a small number of community referrals.

Families are supported for up to 12months through structured home visits supported with a 24 hour on-call phone support. This comprises individual support tailored to families’ self-identified needs, goals and values.

Aims of Families Together:

  • To keep children at home in a safe, stable & nurturing family environment
  • Improve parenting capacity and family functioning
  • Improve children’s wellbeing
  • Prevent unnecessary placement into Out of Home Care

Our support includes:

  • assessment and case planning
  • family focused casework
  • home visiting
  • parenting skills and knowledge of child development
  • family functioning
  • building confidence, restore hope and goal setting
  • building connection with community and social networks
  • basic living skills (eg; budgeting, use of public transport)
  • practical assistance
  • improve household living conditions, creating routines and structures that work for you
  • resolve difficult situations
  • emotional support
  • emotional regulation
  • strengthen family bonds and assist in reducing family conflict
  • improve child safety and wellbeing
  • look at the needs of particular family members
  • help linking with and navigating specialist support services and relevant social, counselling, mental and health support services
Intensive Family Preservation

How it operates

The 12 month program is provided in correlation to a families needs through a support period. This at times may require intensive support in the home with on-call by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week access to phone support, and at other times may require less intensive periods of support.

Intensive Family Preservation

Who is eligible for services?

  • At least one child (unborn to 18 years of age) who is the subject of a Risk of Significant Harm (ROSH) report.
  • Reside in the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie or Central Coast local government areas.
“Always good to have someone there to support you when you had nobody else”
“Yeah that was heaps helpful having someone to help with paperwork and appointments”
“The program was helpful in helping me understand, like looking after the kids and learning to do more activities with the kids”
“I trusted you more than I could trust my own family which meant a lot”
“Having the support there, having someone you could rely on”
“Play sessions with the kids”
“You gave us more information and more confidence as parents”
“If we didn’t know something you were helpful in giving us information, resources. If we needed stuff you would try and help us to get it. You were helpful all round”
“ It’s just so supportive having someone to talk with, where there are no off the cuff comments that are judgemental ”
“ Makes me feel like a better person when I get out with my kids along to the group and join with others ”
“ Feel I can talk to all the workers staff 100% ”
“ I have my bad days but the staff know what to say 100% ”
“ Helped me to build coping mechanisms ”
“ Felt very comfortable ”
Contact us

How to refer to us?

The majority of referrals are only permitted from the NSW Department of Communities and Justice. If you would like to make a community referral please use the contact details below to make an enquiry.

Newcastle and Lake Macquarie

Ph 0420 955 624 or email NLFamiliesTogether@thecanopy.org.au

0420 955 624
Central Coast

Ph Coming Soon or email CCFamiliesTogether@thecanopy.org.au

Coming Soon