Because Children Matter
October 29, 2011
I recently received a Fellowship from the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust to travel to Australia to research homelessness and kinship care services.
During my 4 weeks in Sydney Australia I met with some extraordinary people and organisations. I met with academics, housing practitioners, social service professionals and kinship care families.
I spent a day at Uniting Care Burnside, a charitable organisation specialising in out of home care and family intervention services for vulnerable children. I was invited to get involved in their ‘Because Children Matter’ campaign to help emphasise the importance of kinship care and the need to keep children within their own families wherever possible.
Because Children Matter
My trip to Australia was fantastic. Not only did I learn a great deal about homelessness and kinship care, but I also gained an incredible insight into how children in kinship care are helped and supported in rebuilding their lives.
I only hope Northern Ireland chooses to embrace the concept of kinship care as an alternative to placing children with strangers or in residential care.
Political will, a change in mindset and a little bit of luck – and hey presto anything is possible!
