The NSW Government has launched Dine & Discover NSW to encourage the community to get out and about, supporting dining, arts and tourism businesses and stimulating spending in the economy.
Dine & Discover NSW is being rolled out through March 2021. Throughout each week, vouchers will become available in our local government areas.
NSW residents over the age of 18 can apply for $100 in vouchers. These will be in the form of 2 x $25 Dine vouchers for dining and 2x $25 vouchers for entertainment and recreation. The Dine & Discover vouchers can be used 7 days a week but not on public holidays.
Dine & Discover NSW Vouchers are single-use, and cannot be used for tobacco, alcohol or gambling. If you use less than the $25 value of the voucher, the remaining value is forfeited and may not be used later nor reimbursed by the business.
Vouchers must be redeemed in person at participating businesses.
To apply for your vouchers, click on the link below.
Meet Brendon Jones
Case Worker - Fostering and Permanency
Favourite Food: My favourite food is curry. I always love a green or red curry, except for when I visited Thailand and asked for red curry. The waitress was trying to tell me this was very hot and of course, I was like “yeh all good, I like hot food!” I opted to ignore the multiple warnings and when it came out all the staff were lined up at the bar watching me eat it. I finished it with lots of crying and no skin left on the roof of my mouth…but I showed them!
To relax: I love to watch movies, any action movie or action with some comedy, my favourite movies would have to be Bad Boys and Rush Hour. Also can’t go past the old Van Damme movies Blood Sport and Kick Boxer.
Currently listening to: Hamish and Andy’s podcast- they crack me up. I basically listen to anything anyone puts on; I have not had control of music since I have had kids. We often listen to music in the office too, which is funny because there are so many different tastes.
Best thing about my job is: Working with people that actually care about improving the quality of life of our young people. I enjoy being able to support Foster Carers who are asked to do what seems, at times, an impossible job.
Circle of Friends
Helping to understand personal boundaries helps children and young people know how to behave and relate to other people. A circle of friends is a simple way to show children the different people in their life and each person’s, plus their own, personal boundaries.
Personal Boundaries: Why They’re Important For Children
Personal boundaries are limits and rules about how we behave around others and how other people behave around us. Your personal boundaries might reflect how you feel about touching other people, what you feel comfortable saying to other people about yourself, and so on.
When children learn about their own and other people’s personal boundaries, it helps them understand how to behave in different social situations.
An understanding of personal boundaries also helps children recognise inappropriate behaviour. And this can help them stay safe from child sexual abuse.
Circle Of Friends: How It Helps Children Understand Personal Boundaries
A circle of friends is a picture that shows different people in your child’s life. Your child is in the middle, and people are in concentric circles around your child. Family members are closest to your child, and strangers are farthest away.
A circle of friends helps your child understand the different people in their life – what their relationship is with these people, how your child should behave with them, and what behaviour is OK from those people.
The above image is an example of a completed circle of friends picture.
Once you have added people to each of your child's or young person’s circle, talk with them about how they should behave with each person in the circle. You could ask questions like:
- How would you say hello to people in this circle?
- Which people would it be ok to kiss or hug?
- Who would you invite to your house for dinner?
- Who could you talk to if you’re worried about something?
- Can you sit in this person’s lap?
The reverse of this can be asked about how the people should behave around the child or young person:
- Which people can hug or kiss you?
- Which people can hold your hand?
- Which people can collect you from school?
You could also create an “Is it alright to…?” table that uses ticks and crosses to show what it’s OK to do with people in the different circles. This can be a useful visual support for autistic children. They can keep the table in their room to look at when they need to.
You can adapt this activity to all ages. Younger children may need help with everything, older children might want to do the activity independently. You may also have to provide photos of people as prompts.
You can find more information from the Raising Children Network by clicking on the link below.
UPCOMING MFF TRAINING
APR 20 – 8pm to 8.40pm Online Lounge Room; Nicola Sapsford presents: Strong Carers, Stronger Children
You know the feeling. There's a 'to-do' list as long as your arm and people are relying on you to get everything done. You know it's important to take care of yourself - particularly when you are under stress - but how do you take time and stay connected when there's so much on your plate?
APR 21 – 10am Online; Dr Amy Conley Wright: Advocating for your Child with a Disability
Dr Amy Conley Wright draws upon her book, Six Steps to Successful Child Advocacy, to lay out a general process for individual advocacy for the child in your care with a disability.
APR 21 – 7.30pm to 8.30pm Webinar; Planning for Family Visits
Exploring a variety of approaches to plan and prepare for and reduce stress during family visits.
APR 27 – 10am Online; Guardianship Training.
Learn more about the process of becoming a Guardian.
May 4 – 10am Webinar; Understanding the Reportable Conduct Processes
Reportable conduct is a behaviour undertaken by a Carer that goes against the Carer Code of Conduct and places a child at risk of harm.
May 5 – 7.30pm to 8.30pm Webinar; Top Tips for Responding to Disclosures.
Supporting a child who has disclosed abuse can be challenging and it can feel difficult to know how to respond or what actions to take after the initial conversation.
For MFF membership and to participate in these events go to: http://www.myforeverfamily.org.au/events
My Forever Family Rewards Program
My Forever Family members can enjoy special offers and fantastic savings from leading businesses in Australia and New Zealand.
Save money every time you shop at Woolworths, Coles, JB Hi Fi, Priceline, David Jones, BIG W, and when you fill up with fuel at Caltex-Woolworth’s fuel outlets. Enjoy discount movie tickets, Ticketing, theme parks and experiences, dining, exclusive accommodation pricing and so much more. You can SAVE big $$ every day.
Please see the T&Cs of each offer before you access the benefit as some offers require you to pre-purchase gift cards.
How do I sign up? Click here to sign up or access your account
Once the page has opened, click on Join at the top of the page and then click Register. On the Join page, choose your own password and member ID number.
Once you have registered, you will receive an email confirmation to your email address. You need to click on the link in the email to confirm your email address is correct.
