THE rights of children to live a happy, healthy life will be at the forefront of Gunnedah Family Support’s National Children’s Week commemorations.
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A free book give away for kids and information for parents and carers will be on hand from the service’s new office on Conadilly Street.
Gunnedah Family Support Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Veronica Rodenburg said the week was a chance to showcase the services on offer to the community.
“We have established a new play room here in the office, which is all about being a safe place for children and their parents to interact,” Ms Rodenburg said.
“This week is basically an opportunity for parents to come in, grab a free book and have a chat about their kids or any issues they may have.
“We are really focused on starting to work with families on child behaviour and children who are not transitioning to school well, and what assistance we can provide.”
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National Children’s Week was kicked off in Canberra on Monday, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison offering a formal apology to survivors of child sexual abuse in some of the country’s institutions.
“The staff of Gunnedah Family Support endorse the national apology and are here to offer our care to survivors living locally,” Ms Rodenburg said.
“The apology is the start of other initiatives to help people who continue to suffer from the unimaginable hurt caused to them when they were small children, by people who were supposed to have cared for them and protected them from harm.
“Anyone who needs any support, anyone who needs an ear or a shoulder to cry on, or needs assistance filling out the redress documentation can come to us.”
Ms Rodenburg said going forward Gunnedah Family Support would look to work closely with other local family services to promote children’s safety.
“We will be forming an alliance with other services from around the region to really try to come together about issues facing local kids,” she said.
“We are all like-minded services that are concerned with the well-being of children.
“I think our main focus will be looking to boost the number of kids going through pre-school and ensuring they are ready to start primary school.
“That would most likely be our biggest concern and something we are really focused on.”
Ms Rodenburg said the service’s transition into their new office on Conadilly Street was almost complete.
“At the moment we are virtually up and running,” she said,
“It has been a fairly smooth transition and we are just in the process of moving the last of the furniture from our old sites over to here.
“We are all set up and keen to invite local families to come in and say hello.”
Billy Jupp
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
