MEDIA RELEASE
National families and grandparents groups oppose
closures of NSW kinship carer support services
The closure of support services for NSW kinship carers due to
recent or
anticipated
non-renewal of NSW and Federal Government
funding
is a
backward
step in assisting families and children in need, according to
national family advocacy organisations, Families Australia and Grandparents
Australia.
A recently released report commissioned by the Association of Children’s Welfare
Agencies showed that several services in NSW providing
specialist services to full-
time kinship carers of children and young people had been closed, or were in
danger of closure, due to termination of funding by either the NSW or Federal
Governments.
“This means a step
backward in terms of helping families and children in need.
Support services are one of the most valued forms of assistance to grandparent and
other kinship carers,” said Brian Babington, Chief Executive Officer of Families
Australia, Canberra.
“At a time when all Australian Governments and the NGO community have
highlighted the need to promote children’s safety and wellbeing, including through
the National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children, this is an unhelpful step.
Governments are called upon to reconsider these actions,” he said.
Anne McLeish, director of Grandparents Australia, is concerned that these cutbacks
are being implemented at the same time as cut-backs in payments to some
grandparent carers in NSW. “The loss of payments and access to services at the
same time will be devastating for some families,” she said.
Ms McLeish said “access to support services is highly valued by grandparent carers,
in some cases more valued than access to payments. To have them cut back
seems particularly callous and myopic. Governments need to reflect on the fact that
these services are cost effective when measured against the positive effects they
have on families and the cost saving that accrues over time when we give proper
support early.”
Over 8400 children in NSW are in kinship care often as a result of the death of their
own parents or parental problems with alcohol and other substances, child abuse,
domestic violence or gambling.
5
February 2010
Contact Brian Babington on 0417 550 149 or Anne McLeish on 03 9372 2422;
NEWS 
