Family & Parenting

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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How Nora found release from trauma

Find out how Windermere helped Nora, a mum of five to overcome past trauma and emotional triggers to find healing and wellbeing.

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Meet Kimberley Talbot, Senior Early Childhood Education Specialist

Find out how Kimberley in the EITS team extends her expertise and strategies as a keyworker to support families on the NDIS address their children’s additional needs.

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Meet Cecilia Libor Lictaoa, Plan Manager in Windermere’s NDIS team

As a plan manager, Cecilia unites her expertise in finance admin and disability support to help individuals and families make the most of their NDIS fund.

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How educator Jo creates a place of belonging in her Family Day Care

Regional Educator Winner of Family Day Care Australia Awards 2023, educator Jo shares how family day care provides the best outcomes for children.

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Meet Georgia Presutto, Occupational Therapist/Key Worker and Allied Health Graduate

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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Meet Megan Vane, Counsellor

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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Meet Lily Sam, Lead Educator, Out of Schools Hours Care (OSHC) – Lang Lang Primary School

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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Windermere holiday care program: a place for every child

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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Meet Jodie Mortimer, Team Leader of NDIS Early Intervention & Therapy Services

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 if your child needs early intervention

Find out about the development milestones to help you understand if your child needs early intervention.

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Meet Joyce Ramsay, Dietitian at Windermere

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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Breaking the cycle of trauma

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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Lily finds safety, stability and hope with Mums & Bubs

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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Preparing for your next NDIS plan reassessment meeting

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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Meet Marian Moloney, Senior Psychologist and Key Worker

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 top tips for a successful Family Day Care business

Educator Chris shares her tried and tested tips for running a successful a family day care business.

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Meet Maria Eldho, Paediatric Physiotherapist and Key Worker

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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Meet Tracey McQueen, Integrated Family Services Specialist Disability Practitioner

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 shares the joys and benefits of family day care

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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Mighty Munchers – helping children eat better, the fun way

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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Meet Michaela, Occupational Therapist and Key Worker in Windermere's Allied Health Graduate Program

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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Meet Billy, Senior Support Coordinator at Windermere

As a Senior Support Coordinator at Windermere Billy supports people to navigate the NDIS and build their capacity.

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Meet Narrelle, one of our friendly Support Coordinators

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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Meet Deepti, Finance Officer, Windermere Services

Deepti works to assist our NDIS families with invoice related queries.

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Meet Victoria, NDIS Plan Manager

I help people with their National Disability Insurance Service (NDIS) plans.

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Meet Sandra, NDIS Consumer Response Officer

As an NDIS Consumer Response Officer with Windermere Sandra ensure the people she works with feel happy and supported.

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Meet Narelle, one of our friendly NDIS Plan Managers

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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Meet Jodie, paediatric dietitian with Windermere

I provide nutritional advice, meal planning and education for a range of health conditions, food allergies and food intolerances.

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How to prevent homelessness and get the help you need

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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How trauma services can help your family

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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Dad and his daughters make a fresh start free from violence

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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From homelessness to a place to call their own

After years of living in inhospitable rooming houses, Tracey and Peter finally have a safe place to call home.

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Meet Chloe Weir, nominee for Educator of the Year, 2022 with Family Day Care Australia

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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How Merry Mission transformed Christmas

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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How to deal with a child’s tantrum in public

Know what to do when your child has a tantrum in public and find ways to reduce tantrums occurring.

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The parenting program that works magic on challenging behaviours

The three session program provides parents and caregivers with tools to manage challenging behaviours and to proactively encourage positive behaviours.

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Introduction to Plan Management Info Session

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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Meet one of our support coordinators

Specialist Support Coordinators work with you to coordinate complex support options under the NDIS.

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What does a specialist support coordinator do?

Specialist Support Coordinators work with you to coordinate complex support options under the NDIS.

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Meet Ricky, one of our Occupational Therapists

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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What our feeding program tells us about online support

We know that children learn best in their everyday environments, such as home, kinder and school.

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After a lifetime of challenges Lee finally has the right supports

“I now know when I die Lee has the supports she needs in place and will be fine.”

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How does your key worker help you?

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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Help your child settle into new routines

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 for her children

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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After years of pain, Ken can move on from childhood abuse

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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Building hope from the ashes

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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How family day care helped Mary Ellen's children thrive

“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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How educator Nirmala found a Family Day Care that works for her

“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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How Mel reunited her family after violence and homelessness

“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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How Lauren reclaimed her life after family violence

After facing family violence, near homelessness and financial distress, mum Lauren and her young daughter have turned their lives around.

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How Plan Management helped Boyd

“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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Natasha and her family are thriving since she became an educator

“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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From tantrums to calm: how Joseph changed his life in a year

“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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Comfort and dignity while facing one of life’s greatest challenges

“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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Staff spotlight: Karthika, Counsellor

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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Supporting education

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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Virtual NDIS Expo, September 2020

This was the first time the expo was held virtually.

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Community Activation and Social Isolation Initiative (CASI)

Our Community Connector workers tailor support plan to individual needs.

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Tracey lost her children and her home to family violence. Then she rebuilt her life.

“It was such a relief to have my kids back and know that I can look after them again.”

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Paralympic hopeful saddles up for competition

Phoebe is now working towards re-qualification for the 2021 dressage competition.

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Healing and transformation after trauma is possible

"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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Merry Mission update

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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Become a Family Day Care Educator Information Session - 2024

Become a Family Day Care Educator information sessions

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Kids on Track is going online

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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Toilet training success

“There are a lot of sensory and physical skills that children need to master before they are ready to use the toilet."

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Merry Mission in the News

Every 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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Changing careers from Long Day Care to Family Day Care

“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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How Support Coordination gave Dorothy new independence

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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Why is reading to children important?

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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Making telehealth work when you are 5 years old and non-verbal

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 to support East Gippsland community during COVID-19

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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Being a Family Day Care Educator during COVID-19

“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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Hope for a safer future

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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Keeping Our Young People Safe

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's NDIS journey

Brendan is gradually building confidence and enjoying new independence by even having limited times on outings by himself.

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Cameron's story

"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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Finding a safe home

The women and children in the program have all been homeless or at risk of homelessness due to family violence.

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5 ways to look after your mental health

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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Meet Christine, Early Intervention and Therapy Services, Senior Speech Pathologist

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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Supporting young Ben to thrive

“The speech therapy has made a huge difference. Ben is now on par of where he should be developmentally."

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Learning to have fun with friends

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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How to support someone who is experiencing family violence

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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After being isolated for years, Louise is connecting with her world again

“It’s been a true team effort between Louise, parent involvement and a range of services.”

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Breaking cycles of homelessness

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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What to expect from trauma counselling

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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Holmesglen's 'Run for Change' donates over $10K to Windermere

“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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Toomah Family Fun Day

Celebrate being part of your community this Neighbour Day at our free event.

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Want to provide allied health care under the NDIS but don't know where to start?

"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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Extra support for your child to transition to school or kinder

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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Why Windermere’s Family Day Care Educators enjoy guaranteed pay

“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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Simple strategies to help you child settle into kinder or care

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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6 ways for your children to be healthy eaters

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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How the right support helped Emily to grow

“You people are angels, I have nothing but absolute gratitude and great admiration for Windermere,” says Sylvia.

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5 things you can do to improve your child’s literacy

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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5 things to know before your NDIS planning meeting

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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Helping Lani to find her voice

“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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Easing NDIS worries and finding the right support

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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House of Hope

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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Children have field day with outdoor learning

The outdoor classroom setting also allows the children to connect with nature, themselves and their community.

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Building Learning With Family Day Care Outings

Excursions are valuable because “children learn by being hands on and doing things for themselves.”

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Two decades providing services in Warragul

"We support families to support their children," says Deb.

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A kinder day at Windermere

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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Easing the worry of moving to the NDIS

“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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Need nurturing, high quality family day care?

“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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From despair to joy: Judith’s journey with Windermere

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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Family Day Care Educator combines being a mum with career

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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ELC and kinder children graduate together

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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Why parents love family day care

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.

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New kinder teacher brings ground breaking change

The 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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Teeing off for a good cause

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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There’s no place like home

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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Having a ball at the MCG

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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Young mums, early educators

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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Are you NDIS ready? We Are!

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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Beating Holiday Stress

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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Educator Kerry says goodbye

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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Harmony Day 2016

'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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Celebrating Cranbourne - Communities for Children

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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Living with Autism - Dexter's Story

“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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Education and Suicide Prevention

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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Windermere's Gippsland Victim Assistance Program

"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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ASIST in Suicide Prevention

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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Do you or someone you care for need support to live independently in the community?

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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A Place to Call Home (From uncertainty to stability)

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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Windermere makes a splash for MND

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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Thinking about returning to work?

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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Building Respectful Relationships

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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