A WAGGA foster carer has praised the efforts of a pilot program helping restore children in out of home care with their biological parents.
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The Newpin program is aimed at providing the necessary educational resources to vulnerable families, driving down the number of children in the state care system.
Wagga father Brad Addison, who has fostered numerous children, took an interest in the idea of restoring children with their parents after an experience of his own, and supported any means of helping of achieve that.
"We know that in general terms, the outcomes for kids that grow up in care are not as good as the outcomes for those who grow up in their own family, so anything that supports families and helps keep them together is critical," he said.
Mr Addison and his wife Lisa recently were able to restore a young girl in their care with her biological mother, and continue to support their relationship.
He said the focus on restoring families was often a win-win situation for all involved.
"When kids come into out-of-home care, they're already vulnerable, and removing them from their parents only compounds that trauma," he said.
"It's often the same for parents who are vulnerable, and usually are experiencing their own trauma, so removing their kids is going to bring about a whole new level of grief and loss.
"It is a win-win situation if we can keep those families together in a safe, healthy way."
Safety did need to be the primary consideration, though, according to Mr Addison.
"Unfortunately, there will always be situations where kids have to be removed for their safety, and keeping them safe will always be the focus of care," he said.
"But, programs like Newpin are really helping us be able to keep children safe within their own homes through proper education and relationship management."
Almost 400 children have been safely restored to their parents through Newpin, which is funded by an Australian-first Social Benefit Bond.
Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services Gareth Ward said the Newpin program has achieved unprecedented restoration results for vulnerable families across the state.
"Newpin is designed to reunite families by providing long-term therapeutic support that builds parenting skills and addresses issues like mental health, isolation, social disadvantage or family violence," he said.
"Over the course of the seven-year pilot, more than 60 per cent of children returned to the care of their parents."
In other news:
The Newpin SBB is delivered in partnership with Uniting and Social Ventures Australia. Uniting has been awarded a new contract to keep delivering restoration services across the state.
Uniting NSW/ACT Director of Children, Youth and Families Sue Shilbury said they are excited to enter the next phase of the Newpin program.
"The Uniting Newpin model is about creating a safe, judgement-free learning environment for parents and children to work through trauma, support each other, and build better behaviour and strong parent-child bonds," she said.
Empowering Aboriginal families is an important focus of Newpin with 20 per cent of families referred to the program identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.