Integrated Family Services
In the face of rising petrol, grocery, child care and mortgage costs and other issues, many young families in our region are doing it hard.
Given the stresses and struggles of young families, it is more evident than ever before that we need to work harder to keep families together and to support them to work through their difficulties.
Windermere’s Integrated Family Services team assists and supports parents and caregivers of children and young people, who are experiencing difficulties that are affecting the family’s capacity to function. We seek to develop and implement creative ways to engage and work with children and their families.
When you consider that around 150 families are moving into our region every week, it’s easy to understand why there’s an unprecedented demand for our services, which include assisting families to:
- Develop parenting skills
- Manage difficult behaviours
- Solve problems
- Resolve conflict
- Manage the household
- Feel emotionally supported
- Access an array of services and resources, including counselling, disability support, housing, financial assistance, Legal Aid, and health care.
- Receive advocacy support in a range of areas, including: court-related matters, dealing with overdue bills, school issues and communicating with government agencies.
Eligibility
Priority is given to families struggling to function day-to-day, due to:
- Mental health issues
- Abuse and/or violence
- Parental self-esteem issues
- Children with challenging behaviours, learning difficulties or special needs
- Financial/ housing problems
- Social isolation
- Stress associated with unemployment, multiple birth, children with disabilities, separation, divorce, illness or death
- Transition associated to ages & stages of child and parenting development.
Our partnerships
We work closely with schools, maternal and child health centres, local government, healthcare providers, specialist agencies and other service providers as part of a coordinated approach to improving outcomes for children and families. We also co-facilitate (along with other agencies) a young mums’ group and ‘Pairs’ – a group focusing on establishing sound mother/baby relationships.
Windermere’s Integrated Family Services are offered to clients via the South Eastern Families Services partnership set up by the Victorian Department of Human Services. The partnership is a three way arrangement between Connections, Windermere and the City of Greater Dandenong, designed to deliver outcome-focused family-support services in our operating region with a central intake system.
Costs
Most of Windermere’s Integrated Family Services Programs are provided free of charge.
Locations
We offer services at Windermere’s Narre Warren and Pakenham branches, as well as in-home across our operating region. For more information please contact us.
Click here to view Integrated Family Services PDF Brochure