Wynnum and Redlands urged to open their hearts

The Wynnum and Redlands community has been urged to dig deep into their hearts to help their most vulnerable children – and move the region Toward Q2.

The Bligh Government is urgently seeking more foster carers to provide homes, love and support for vulnerable children and young people who are unable to live at home because of abuse or neglect.

Speaking at a Foster Family Fun Day for foster families in the Redlands, Cleveland and Capalaba region, Child Safety Minister Margaret Keech said the call for carers was part of the government’s most extensive foster and kinship carer recruitment campaign.

“The Bligh Government is looking over the horizon and has invested $15 million over five years to recruit and train more foster and kinship carers,” Mrs Keech said.

As part of this campaign local MPs Phil Weightman, John English and Michael Choi have banded together to encourage community members to put up their hands to become foster or kinship carers.

The trio joined Mrs Keech at the family fun day to launch their own Drive for 25, a bid to each recruit 25 new foster carers as part of the campaign.

“There have been more than 180 calls from potential new carers to our campaign hotline from Wynnum and Redlands,” Mrs Keech said.

“As part of our Toward Q2 strategy the Bligh Government has made a commitment to increase by 50 per cent the proportion of Queenslanders involved in their communities as volunteers.

“Sadly, there are around 265 children and young people in the Wynnum and Redlands areas who cannot live safely at home because at least one of their parents abuses or neglects them.

"At 31March this year there were about 180 foster and kinship carers providing homes to abused, neglected and at risk children and young people in the Wynnum and Redlands areas.”

“As we grow Toward Q2 we desperately need more carers, more of these community heroes to step in and help transform a child’s life.”

The Bligh Government has committed $893,773 per annum over the next three years for Save the Children Australia to continue to run a group house for abused young people in the Wynnum and Redlands areas who cannot live at home.

The funds are part of the record $586.6 million child protection investment including close to $3.6 million in child protection grant funding for the Wynnum and Redlands areas.

The Bligh Government will deliver more child protection workers, more support for struggling families and more safe places to live for abused children and young people across the state.

Mrs Keech said Save the Children Australia had been running the group house for young people aged 12 and over for the past three years.

"This funding will allow the service to continue providing these young people with a safe and stable place to live.

“They also receive therapeutic support, intervention services and an after hours outreach program to help them begin to rebuild their lives," she said.

"Child protection is a tremendous responsibility and the Bligh Government needs more carers to shoulder this responsibility.

"Community partners such as Save the Children Australia, and our foster and kinship carers, help us provide brighter futures for abused and neglected children.”

For the year ending 30 June 2007, the Wynnum and Redlands Child Safety Service Centres recorded about 1162 notifications of harm or risk of harm to children and young people.

Mrs Keech said there was still a very strong need for more dedicated carers, including in the Wynnum and Redlands region.

"We desperately need more people to put up their hands to become carers.

“The Bligh Government is improving services, but we need to find more carers who can open their hearts and homes and offer at-risk children the love and care they deserve," she said.

“Any amount of time you can devote to being a foster carer will make a difference in a child’s life – whether it’s a few hours a week, a few days a month or providing full-time care.”

For information on becoming a foster or kinship carer, phone the Department of Child Safety on 1300 550 877 or visit www.childsafety.qld.gov.au.

ENDS

Media Contact: Jo Crompton 3224 2163