Last week the Fams team headed up to Northern NSW to spend time building relationships and understanding the challenges the sector faces and see the incredible impact services are making for their community.
Just over 12 months on, the impacts of the 2022 floods are still very much being felt. The region has been grappling with a series of disasters including bush fires, COVID and floods, and their cumulative impact on children and young people’s mental health is a growing concern.
Additionally, homelessness, temporary and insecure housing have risen, leaving some families far from their homes and disconnected from their communities. These challenges have made the work of supporting families incredibly difficult for service providers.
Despite this, the community has shown remarkable strength and support for one another. People are coming together, making the best use of available resources, and sharing their knowledge and skills to help one another. The needs of the children and families remain central to their efforts.
Susan and Lauren were honoured to be part of the Kinship Festival in Murwillumbar on the Saturday. It was a rich and wholehearted celebration of culture reminding us of the joy of communities coming together.
