Last year ended with our staff, volunteers and supporters coming together to spread some Christmas joy to families in our local community.
 
We would like to thank Seagulls, Elevations Church, Cherry St Sports Club, Tweed Mall and the Bingo Club at Hacienda Homestead Holiday Park. With their support we were able to give specially selected Christmas gifts to over 150 children and young people and their families.

We also received 10 large food hampers for families from Ganggalah Church and Recycled Mats also gifted 40 beautiful large recycled rugs for families and young people participating in our Connecting Home program. The number of gifts we received was overwhelming and really touched everyone at The Family Centre.
 
Our wonderful team of volunteers with the support of Tweed Mall wrapped up Christmas at our annual gift wrapping stall and raised $1900. All the monies raised go directly to our Creating Opportunity Fund.

The Creating Opportunity Fund was established in 2007. Since then over $65,000 has been distributed to more than 300 children and young people participating in our programs. It assists with the cost of school uniforms, school excursions, remedial tutoring, musical tuition and instruments, books, computer equipment, sports club fees and uniforms, travel and accommodation to events.

Donations to the fund will make a difference and help families with returning to school this year, and making plans to start new activities. We welcome any help to create new opportunities for children and young people to be the best they can be.

We are looking forward to another successful year working alongside our community, volunteers and supporters.

During the school holidays The Family Centre’s shared space at the Murwillumbah Farmers Markets Kiddies Space was alive with laughter, fun and colour.
 
Child and Family Worker Paula La Belle, Volunteer Coordinator Lotte Boer and volunteer Amanda Timmers facilitated the activities in the Kiddie Space.  The children loved making tree art from lentils, egg carton flowers and recycled cardboard icy poles. There was also play dough which is always a hit with the children.
 
“Our volunteer Amanda is very popular with the children and their families bringing energy, creativity and a bright smile to the space. It’s nice to see parents connecting in the space having a chat and even talking about The Family Centres parenting courses with each other” said Paula.
 
Visit Kiddie Space every Wednesday at the Murwillumbah Farmers Markets from 9am–11am.

The Family Centre have been delivering Rent It Keep It training to participants in our Connecting Home program.

The purpose of Rent it to Keep It is to equip participants to obtain and sustain a private rental property. It is designed in particular for participants who have had little experience in the private rental market.

Topics include: Finding places to inspect, how to apply, starting a tenancy, repairs and cleaning, managing expenses, neighbours and visitors, rights and responsibility, sharing accommodation and finishing a tenancy.

Since November 2018, 10 young people in our Connecting Home program have participated in the training with The Family Centre. The training will be expanded this year, running 4 times a year and offered to other young people wanting to gain valuable information that this program can delivered

Tuning into Teens

Wednesdays February 27–April 3, 5.30pm–7.30pm
The Family Centre, Frances St Tweed Heads

The Family Centre is offering a new ‘pop up’ course this term.
Tuning in to Teens™ a parenting program that focuses on emotions and is designed to assist parents to establish stronger relationships with their teenage children.
 
This six week course shows you how to help your teen develop emotional intelligence.
Teens who understand their emotions:

·      have greater success with making and keeping friends
·      are able to concentrate more easily
·      are more able to calm down when angry or upset

You wont find this course on our course program, so if you are interested call us on (07) 5524 8711

Circle of Security Seminar Strengthening the Relationship

Thursday March 7, 6pm–8pm
Good Start Early Learning Centre, Tweed Heads South

Want to strengthen the relationship with your baby/child?

This seminar is for parents of children birth-5 years. 

Parents will learn how to identify their children’s emotional needs and respond to their behaviours. 

The official label used by the Australian government to define a traditional family (a two parent family with biological or adopted children only) is “intact”: Not damaged or impaired in any way. Complete. Whole. Unbroken.

This is problematic when we think about all the other possible ways to live in a family: blended, step, single parent, foster, or any other family that diverges from we might call the “traditional” family model.

In Australian picture books, family representation has been overwhelmingly traditional; not just “intact”, but specifically white, middle class, with a mum, dad, and a (frequently blonde) male child protagonist. Children from diverse families are rarely represented. 

But this may be changing. The following are eight recently published Australian picture books that break the mould and celebrate family diversity, showing that all families - whatever shape they take - are intact.