In our 'Family & Parenting' section you’ll find parenting resources, information and practical advice to help you deal with the daily issues and challenges of being a parent.
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Georgia shares how the Allied Health Graduate program and Windermere's culture of learning have helped her develop her skills as an Occupational Therapist and Key Worker.
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Megan brings a breadth of experience and skills to understand complex human behaviour and effect change in the lives of those she supports.
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As the Lead Educator, Lily takes joy in interacting with children of different ages in her care and shares the benefits of Out of School Ours Care.
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Find out how Windermere's holiday care program ensured young Eliza, who has type 1 diabetes, could safely attend the program.
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Jodie started out at Windermere as a physiotherapist in the Allied Health Graduate Program, a year ago. Now as Team Leader of Early Intervention Therapy Services, she credits the culture of learning and support for her career development.
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Find out about the development milestones to help you understand if your child needs early intervention.
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Joyce works with children and adults to help them develop a healthy and varied diet to improve their health and wellbeing.
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Learn how a young mum of three breaks the cycle of generational trauma with the help of the Mums & Bubs program, to secure a future for her family.
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Courageous young mum Lily overcomes family violence and homelessness to make a fresh start in life with the help of the Mums & Bubs program.
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Learn how you can prepare for your NDIS plan reassessment meeting to ensure you receive a plan that meets your needs.
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Senior Psychologist and Key Worker, Marian draws on her key worker training and education to support Windermere's Adult Psychology and Early Intervention Therapy services.
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Educator Chris shares her tried and tested tips for running a successful a family day care business.
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Paediatric Physiotherapist, Maria draws on her specialised skills and key worker training and education for her role in Early Intervention Therapy services.
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Tracey, our Integrated Family Services Specialist Disability Practitioner draws on years of experience to enhance support for families in the South Melbourne region.
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Aimee started her own family day care business as it allows her to be her own boss, have more flexibility and provide better care.
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The Mighty Munchers group program is designed for children with feeding difficulties and educates parents on strategies that help their children eat better.
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As an Occupational Therapist and Key Worker at Windermere, Michaela works with children in the disability space supporting all areas of their development.
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As a Senior Support Coordinator at Windermere Billy supports people to navigate the NDIS and build their capacity.
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As an NDIS Support Coordinator at Windermere Narrelle ensures the people she works with can link into the appropriate NDIS services.
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Deepti works to assist our NDIS families with invoice related queries.
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I help people with their National Disability Insurance Service (NDIS) plans.
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As an NDIS Consumer Response Officer with Windermere Sandra ensure the people she works with feel happy and supported.
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Plan management takes some of the stress away from families in that we manage the financial part of their NDIS plans.
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I provide nutritional advice, meal planning and education for a range of health conditions, food allergies and food intolerances.
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Homelessness Week is an annual national event used to raise awareness and provide information around the impacts of homelessness and the actions needed to provide solutions and support.
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Your trauma experience may affect your parenting in multiple ways. This may mean you could experience more challenges in the relationship with your child.
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Over nearly two decades of marriage David’s wife used controlling tactics to isolate and manipulate him and their two teenage daughters,
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After years of living in inhospitable rooming houses, Tracey and Peter finally have a safe place to call home.
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Chloe moved into Family Day Care because of the flexibility it offered her to be available for her own family after her daughter was born.
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Merry Mission Christmas Appeal 2021 helped hundreds of families facing a Christmas without food or gifts. Hear from the families who received support from Merry Mission 2021.
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Know what to do when your child has a tantrum in public and find ways to reduce tantrums occurring.
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The three session program provides parents and caregivers with tools to manage challenging behaviours and to proactively encourage positive behaviours.
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We have developed a series of Plan Management online information sessions to maximise the benefit of your funding and get the most out of your plan. Throughout the series we will explain how Plan Management works, help you understand each category and break down your NDIS plan to help you get the most value.
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Specialist Support Coordinators work with you to coordinate complex support options under the NDIS.
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Specialist Support Coordinators work with you to coordinate complex support options under the NDIS.
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Key workers work with children under seven years old who have a developmental delay or disability. A key worker is part of Windermere's range of therapy and support services.
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We know that children learn best in their everyday environments, such as home, kinder and school.
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“I now know when I die Lee has the supports she needs in place and will be fine.”
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Celebrate the relocation of our Warragul office at our free community fun day.
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Key workers work with children under seven years old who have a developmental delay or disability. A key worker is part of Windermere's range of therapy and support services.
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New school, new year level, new kinder or new childcare? Here are some practical things you can do to assist your young ones to settle in.
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Stephanie became a family day care educator because she wanted to provide the best possible care to her own two children.
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Elderly Ken was referred to Windermere’s Victims Assistance Program by a counselling service. At the time Ken was struggling to come to terms with a legacy of childhood abuse.
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Windermere, acting on behalf of Bushfire Recovery Victoria, provided Eric with a range of supports. This included identifying his immediate needs and plans for the future and linking him into psychological first aid and counselling.
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“I tell everyone about Family Day Care, we love it,” she says. She says that her children have hugely benefitted because all their educators have really got to know her children and their personalities.
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“I’d heard Windermere had a good reputation and was also local to my area. So I contacted them and within a week they had the paperwork organised and I had signed up under their Family Day Care,” she says.
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“I was homeless and now three of my kids were gone. I don’t know what I would have done without Windermere” she says.
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After facing family violence, near homelessness and financial distress, mum Lauren and her young daughter have turned their lives around.
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“When Jacqui and Boyd started Plan Management services with us, we realised they were not able to take full advantage of our services and needed some assistance to understand more about what was detailed in Boyd’s NDIS plan."
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“Being a Family Day Care educator lets me get the best of both worlds. I can still work and support my family, but I can also care for my children while doing something that I have a passion for,”
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“He has gone from a boy who would not attend school and had frequent outbursts to being much happier and calmer,”
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It can be frustrating when you have a child who is a fussy eater. This free information session provide some practical strategies to support positive mealtime experiences through play and gradual exposure.
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“Gunter’s supports are also about his quality of life, especially during the pandemic. We want things to be fulfilling and for him to enjoy community supports and time with his family."
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When I lived in Singapore I was part of the psychosocial trauma support team as well as the crisis and trauma team of a women's and children's hospital.
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Students participate in our structured program which provides work placements in Community and Public Services, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Social Work and Speech Therapy.
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This was the first time the expo was held virtually.
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Our Community Connector workers tailor support plan to individual needs.
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“It was such a relief to have my kids back and know that I can look after them again.”
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Phoebe is now working towards re-qualification for the 2021 dressage competition.
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"People look at survivors and characterise us as brave and strong, but ...if I could say one thing to someone still in it, it would be that you don’t have to be those things to get out."
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This money has significantly helped us adapt our service delivery and continue to provide services and support to desperate local children and families, who during this pandemic have experienced devastating challenges, more so than ever before. Thank you.
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Moving the program online presents an opportunity to reach more vulnerable children, empowering them to build the foundations for a safer, more stable future.
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“There are a lot of sensory and physical skills that children need to master before they are ready to use the toilet."
Find out moreEvery Christmas our Merry Mission aims to bring real joy, happiness and hope to the lives of local children and families, at what can be a difficult time for so many.
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“I would never have considered Family Day Care as an option if it had not been offered to me, but I knew and trusted the Windermere management so I took a huge leap of faith. I am so glad that I did.”
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Support Coordination has assisted Dorothy to access a range of supports designed to maintain and increase her independence as well as protect her during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Reading with young children is often described as one of the most important things you can do as a parent or carer. This is because early reading (or reading to children when they are young) assists literacy development and also enriches life experience, both in childhood and adulthood.
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The feedback from David’s school and family is that he is much calmer, happier and “like a different boy.” Additionally David’s concentration has improved and his now able to maintain attention for up to 15 minutes, well over the initial goal of five minutes.
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Windermere’s Community Connector workers can receive direct referrals from East Gippsland residents via phone 0499 500 495 or email CASIcommunityconnector@windermere.org.au
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“Windermere went out of their way to treat all the educators fairly. Thanks to Windermere and JobKeeper I could still pay my bills as I normally did.”
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After fleeing a violent relationship which saw her hospitalised, 19 year old Chloe, had nowhere safe to go. A friend had let her sleep on their couch for a few weeks, but this was becoming more and more difficult with a baby and she knew she could not stay there forever.
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Life was tough for Scott, who had even spent time in an inpatient neuropsychiatry ward, but his parents, family, friends and teachers just didn’t know what to do, or how to handle his explosive behaviour.
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Brendan is gradually building confidence and enjoying new independence by even having limited times on outings by himself.
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"It was such hard work just trying to coordinate Cameron’s NDIS plan. To work out the financial side of things as well would just have been impossible for us.”
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The women and children in the program have all been homeless or at risk of homelessness due to family violence.
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It is important to look after your mental health in tough times. Here are five simple things that you can start doing now.
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I love working closely with families and creating really meaningful professional relationships. I enjoy helping children achieve little and big goals.
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“The speech therapy has made a huge difference. Ben is now on par of where he should be developmentally."
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Fun with Friends is structured according to the needs and interests of the children in the group. It includes intentional teaching activities that enable the children to practice social interactions within a play-based setting.
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Safety is always the priority. Often the person experiencing family violence will feel that they are to blame for their family member’s behaviour. Often this will be a male partner, but this is not always the case.
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“It’s been a true team effort between Louise, parent involvement and a range of services.”
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Our Mums & Bubs program continues to give young mothers at risk of homelessness a chance to build a safer, more stable life.
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Unfortunately when we have an overwhelmingly negative experience, our emotions can become trapped. We are unable to move on from the impact of the traumatic event until we process our responses to what has happened.
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“We (Holmesglen) are delighted to have had Windermere as one of our charity partners for the 2018 event. I am a great admirer and impressed with the work they do in the community and am looking forward to further building our relationship with them”.
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Celebrate being part of your community this Neighbour Day at our free event.
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"If allied health professionals partner with us there is no need to go through the extensive NDIS registration process. In turn we would refer the appropriate consumers to their services."
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The children who are supported by Windermere’s group programs include pre-schoolers with extreme separation anxiety, young children who are having trouble adjusting to structured routines or social situations and those who need support to develop fine and gross motor skills.
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“I may be self employed and contracted to Windermere but I am paid consistently and regularly. I don't have the worry of feeling I need to chase up payments from clients at all,” says Danielle.
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Whether it is starting at kindergarten or childcare, there are some practical things you can do to assist your little ones to make the transition.
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We’ve listed some practical ways you can ensure that mealtimes are happier and healthier rather than feeling like you are a member of the “food police”.
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“You people are angels, I have nothing but absolute gratitude and great admiration for Windermere,” says Sylvia.
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Once a week the kindergarten children visit Monash University facilities to practice skills under the guidance of their educators and students from the Monash Department of Occupational Therapy.
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We’ve developed a list of suggestions that you can do with your preschooler to help foster their emerging literacy (reading and writing skills).
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We know there are lots of people who have questions about the NDIS planning process. Here are some of the things you should know before you go to your initial NDIS planning meeting.
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“There are people who would talk to her every day on the school run, and she would never give them a response. All of sudden she is suddenly able to reply to them,” says Kristy.
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Olivia, who is sole carer for Harrison 17 and David 13, was apprehensive about developing their NDIS plans and being able to put them into action.
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The Mums & Bubs program does not simply provide safe, short term accommodation to mums and their babies when they need it most. Through mentoring, support and skill development it also equips the mothers and their babies to live safer and more independent lives when they leave the program.
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The outdoor classroom setting also allows the children to connect with nature, themselves and their community.
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Excursions are valuable because “children learn by being hands on and doing things for themselves.”
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"We support families to support their children," says Deb.
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The children have access to both the indoor and outside play areas during the day. There is a variety of toys provided which encourage imaginative play, fine and gross motor skills and problem solving.
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“Michelle believes that she finally has a purpose in life. She can voice her opinion and feels that her opinion is heard and valued. She can also select the programs and activities that she likes,” says Tanya.
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“We use professional development to identify problems and concerns and support our educators to find and use appropriate resources,” says Robyn.
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When mum of four, Judith, made contact with Windermere she knew she needed support. She was not coping as a mum and was struggling to be emotionally available for her family.
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From a personal point of view Danielle says being a Family Day Care Educator allows her to combine earning an income while being available to her own children. “It is the best job on the planet for running your family and your own business,” she says.
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Poppy, William, Frankie, Maali, Allira, Heathcliff, Peta, Annabelle and Lorienne, who are now five and six years old, have all attended the centre since its first year of operation in 2013.
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The flexible hours mean that the Family Day Care option is particularly suited for working parents and carers who have non-standard work hours or school age children who require before and after school care.
Find out moreThe Abecedarian teaching approach is an evidence based teaching approach that prioritises language development in young children. Learn how we implemented the teaching approach here.
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It was a crisp start to the day, but that didn’t deter the 70 odd golfers who teed off at Victoria Golf Club on 3rd May in the annual Windermere Classic.
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On the 8th June, over 30 of Windermere’s most valued supporters gathered to celebrate the launch of our new Mums & Bubs House. Windermere’s Mums & Bubs program has been in existence since 2011, but due to overwhelming demand there are growing numbers of young mothers still needing our help
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Our annual Bounce of the Ball kicked off once again at the home of football and was everything we could have hoped for – informed updates from some AFL legends, including valuable insights from guest speaker Paul Roos, a handball competition and a chance to get up close with the 2017 Premiership Cup...
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Striking the right balance between work and family life can be tough, but that was never an issue for a Garfield mother who managed to roll both into one.
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For John and Sara Palmer raising their daughter Cara has been a challenging journey filled with much joy and anguish. You see Cara has cerebral palsy, autism, is vision impaired, has low muscle tone, is epileptic and displays severe behavioural issues. Read their story here.
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The festive season is meant to be a time of joy, but for many it can be a time of stress, anxiety, disappointment and loneliness. Things don't always go to plan, so here are some steps you can take to help manage stress and anxiety during the holidays.
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Life is about to get a little quieter at Kerry Dorling's Bunyip home. Having found the time to care for her own family, plus more than 150 children for other families through her 29 year career, retirement was a tough call for Windermere Family Day Care educator Kerry.
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'The beauty of this program, which engages students in a range of activities, is its simplicity. By coming together, they drop any preconceived ideas they may have held and realise just how much they have in common.'
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Cranbourne is a vibrant, culturally diverse, growing community welcoming new families every week who can access support for their family’s well-being. With wide reaching community consultation, Windermere and its Community Partners have designed and run programs in Cranbourne for areas that have been identified as needing support.
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“I thought if I ever left Dexter with anyone other than myself, his father or his grandmother, I feared he wouldn’t survive”.
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In 2011, when our community was at crisis point with a spate of youth suicides, we created a suicide prevention program that could be implemented in schools quickly. The program trained participants to recognise when someone was at risk of suicide and gave them the skills to intervene appropriately.
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"For the community, I think it's terribly important to understand what violence within a family setting is, what it means and what it involves." Read the full interview with Carol Barraclough, Team Leader of Gippsland Victims Assistance Program here http://www.latrobevalleyexpress.com.au/…/end-violence-aga…/…
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In 2011, when our community was at crisis point with a spate of youth suicides, we created a suicide prevention program that could be implemented in schools quickly. The program trained participants to recognise when someone was at risk of suicide and gave them the skills to intervene appropriately.
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As we move towards the NDIS, our Disability Team recently reviewed existing Individualised Fee for Service (IFS) programs and incorporated a number of options under the banner Supporting Lifestyles. This is a program to assist you in living at home and being involved in your local community.
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Growing up was long hard struggle for Jessica, who describes her mother as being verbally abusive towards her. An already troubled relationship with her parents became even more strained when mum and dad separated; leading Jessica to pack her bags and left home at 18.
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On 1 September, the Disability Services Team took up the global ice bucket challenge to raise money and awareness for Motor Neurone Disease, a degenerative neurological condition that impacts all the motor nerves in the body, usually leading to death within three years of diagnosis. It's a cause close to our heart - our disability services team often works with clients with the incurable disease and see first hand the impact it has on victims and their families.
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The decision to return to work after the arrival of a new family member is often a difficult one, usually motivated by a need for money, enjoying your work or for interaction with other adults. Usually it's a combination of these factors.
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We are thrilled to say that our new Initiative Building Respectful Relationships has been a great success. Over 100 Year 8 students from Cranbourne Secondary College, underwent the program facilitated by two members of our Counselling team with specialist knowledge of family violence, relationships, sexual assault and gender-based violence.
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48 Webb Street
Boonwurrung Country
Narre Warren, VIC 3805
Phone: 1300 946 337
Fax: (03) 9796 7650
Email: info@windermere.org.au
Windermere is committed to equity, inclusion and belonging for consumers and employees, by building diverse and inclusive services and work environments, where all peoples from Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander, Culturally & Linguistically Diverse, LGBTIQ+ Communities and those living with disability will know and feel accepted, affirmed, safe and celebrated. Windermere is delivering this through the continued development and implementation of our Welcoming and Inclusion Strategy 2021-2024.
© Copyright 2023 by Windermere Child and Family Services.
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