Congratulations and thank you to the following Carers on their first anniversary of caring 

Julie & David Griffin, 11^th November 2022

Aimee & Ian Martin, 11^th November 2022

Louise & Michael Humphreys, 18^th November 2022

Cindy Milton, 1^st December 2022

Jane Crooks, 14^th December 2022

Breanna Harris, 14^th December 2022

Julien Williams & Jacqueline Foulds, 15^th December 2022

Donna McMillan-Beiboer, 16^th December 2022

Jade Wilson, 16^th December 2022

Congratulations Joy & John Davidson

As Joy and John were unable to attend the Carers Anniversary Dinner in June, we took the opportunity to present their award to Joy at the Nov 16th ongoing training. Joy was reluctant to come up and didn’t like the fuss, but it was well deserved. Thank you Joy and John for your continued commitment to caring for the last 13 years. _______________________________________________________________________

November Training: One Caring Adult 

The November training, One Caring Adult, was well attended and enjoyed by those who attended. It was great to welcome back Carers and hear the happy chatter of people connecting and the photos reflect this. The session was filmed and is available on the learning platform for those of you who were unable to attend. If you aren’t sure about the Online training and how to access the training platform, contact us and we will be happy to walk you through it.

Follow this link: https://lms.allambicare.org.au/lms-signin

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Meet Georgia Clifton 

Case Worker - Fostering & Permanency

What are you most excited about in relation to your job this year?

I am excited to see my young people and their carers hit the small milestones and continue growing and achieving in their lives. 

What is one important skill every person should have?

Ability to see things from other people’s perspectives.

What is your favourite thing to do by yourself?

Painting, reading and walking my dogs

Are you a cat or dog person?

Dog person. I have two dogs that you will find photos of all over my desk

What’s your favourite food?

Sushi or Grill’d Simon Says Burger

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See below for Georgia’s summary of the RAD training

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Farewell Betty & John

Sadly we have said goodbye to long time carers Shirley McNair and John Sinclair. They have decided after years of caring for children and young people to take some time and care for themselves. Betty and John have been Foster Carers for 19 years, 15 years were with Allambi. They have positively impacted numerous young people, too many to mention right now. They stay connected with all the young people they fostered in their time with DCJ and Allambi. We tried hard to talk them into ‘one more placement’ but understand that they are looking forward to whatever adventures they undertake. Allambi Care thanks you for your time, love and commitment to the children that you have cared for, you will be missed.

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The Foster & Kinship Care Picnic 2022 

The picnic was cancelled due to the seemingly never-ending rain at the time. The picnic may be re-scheduled in January 2023. We will keep you informed as to whether it’s going ahead.

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Christmas message from Tim Reed

To all of our wonderful carers,

As we steam ahead to Christmas I would like to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you for all you have done this year. This thank you extends to full-time carers, respite carers, new carers and long term carers! Everyone
plays an important role and we all really appreciate your ongoing commitment to the children, young people and families we support. It has been a challenging year for the Fostering and Permanency program as we have experienced significant staff shortages. This has not only made it tough on the current staff, as we know it impacts you as foster carers as well. We are planning and hopeful things will be different in 2023, as we continue to actively recruit new staff so that we have a full team to provide the support that you and children and young people need and deserve.

We have held a couple of in-person foster carer trainings lately, and it has been awesome to see so many turn up for these. If you haven’t been able to make one yet, I encourage you to come and connect with other carers, learn some new things and have a nice lunch together. The food is always good! 

I know I have already said thank you, but I feel the need to say it again. Thank you for all that you do for some of the community’s most vulnerable people. People aren’t lining up at the door to become carers, and that is mostly
because it is not easy. However, you have chosen this very selfless path and put your hand up to join a very small percentage of the community who have said yes to helping in this way. So, thank you on behalf of Allambi for doing
this. We know the kids don’t often say it (if at all), and to be honest, we don’t say it enough, but you deserve it, because it takes a very special person to be a foster carer and without people like you, there would be thousands of
kids without a safe and loving place to grow up.

We hope you have an enjoyable, safe and memorable Christmas and somehow find some time to get some rest, recharge the batteries and get ready for next year. We look forward to partnering with you again next year, to
continue the life-changing care and support you are providing to children and young people.

Happy Christmas!
Tim Reed – on behalf of the Fostering and Permanency Team.

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My Forever Family Events

Stay tuned for events in the New Year!

Easy Christmas Treat for the kids to make

Potato Chip ClustersIngredients:

• 2 cups of coarsely crushed crinkle cut potato chips
• ½ cup chopped nuts of your choice
• 250 grams white baking chocolate
• Christmas Sprinkles/mini Christmas M&Ms

Method:

In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the white chocolate. Stir in the potato chips and chopped nuts. Drop tablespoons in patty cake papers or onto a tray lined with baking paper. Sprinkle with Christmas sprinkles for some colour and refrigerate to set.

**You can substitute milk chocolate to replace the white chocolate. You can also use potato straws to replace the crushed chips. If you have a nut allergy, use ½ cup crushed pretzels.

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'Whole Brain Child' Review - Take 2

Here is the second of the articles based on the book the 'Whole Brain Child' by Dr Dan Sigel. Our amazing Play Therapist, Grahame Williams, suggested the topic so we know it will be good. The articles are an easy read and present strategies that you can use with your child or young person. 

I love that my child always has a behaviour causing me to try one of the strategies from The Whole-Brain Child. It was a calm weekday morning. My husband was making breakfast, the girls were downstairs, I was by myself for a few minutes, and then the screaming started. Elise spilled juice on her flowered dress and proceeded to spew her feelings all over everyone. “Fine I didn’t want juice. Fine I just won’t have anything. Fine my dress is ruined. No, I don’t want another dress. I can’t wear this dress it is wet. You don’t want to help me.” She has even started a new dig where she tells her dad she doesn’t love him anymore and that she won’t miss him if he dies. I don’t know why
she feels the spilt juice so deeply, but she does. And what she’s screaming is typically the opposite of what she means, but I do not recommend trying to reason with her at this time.

So, what do Siegel and Bryson have to say?

“When a child experiences painful, disappointing, or scary moments, it can be overwhelming, with big emotions and bodily sensations flooding the right brain. When this happens, we as parents can help bring the left hemisphere into the picture so that the child can begin to understand what’s happening. One of the best ways to promote this type of integration is to help retell the story of the frightening or painful experience.”

In Elise’s case, she was extremely disappointed that she didn’t get to wear her flowered dress. I said, “You sound really sad and angry that juice spilled on your dress. Sometimes when I get dressed and then Maggie spits up on me
or poops on me or I spill coffee, I get really frustrated because I have to pick something out to wear again.” And you know how Elise responded? She simply replied, “Yeah, I really wanted to wear my dress,” sans screaming – amazing. I asked her if she wanted help picking out a new dress, and we were able to find one with a satisfactory number of flowers. Now, I know this was not a “big” problem, but it was to Elise. And this was a first for it to be resolved so amicably. We have also used the name it to tame it with bad dreams, scary monsters and when we stayed three nights away from her. We have to retell the stories with her as often as she asks because she is the one still trying to make sense of what happened. Siegel and Bryson go on to say:

“When children learn to pay attention to and share their own stories, they can respond in healthy ways to everything from a scraped elbow to a major loss or trauma. What kids often need, especially when they experience strong
emotions, is to have someone help them use their left brain to make sense of what’s going on—to put things in order and to name these big scary right-brain feelings so they can deal with them effectively…stories empower us to move forward and master moments when we feel out of control. When we give words to our frightening painful experiences—when we literally come to terms with them—they often become much less frightening and painful.”

Now I wish I could say that Elise and I resolve all our issues as amicably as the spilt juice, but we are still new to this. And I need just as much practice as she does. One of my favourites is the sandwich that won’t stay put together and is “ruined,” so obviously throwing the whole plate of food on the floor solves the sandwich issue. Then there is yesterday’s debacle of asking her to clean her room; we are still recovering from that. Like I said we need practice,
and luckily, we have a lifetime to perfect our strategies.

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Cyberbullying: Spotting the signs and helping children and teenagers handle it

You know your child and how they usually behave so you are in a good position to notice if there are concerning changes. You may notice changes in the following areas including: 

Emotions and behaviour: 

• More moody than usual 
• Obvious changes in behaviour
• Unusually angry at home
• Trouble sleeping 
• No appetite 
• Becomes withdrawn 
• Feels sick or complains of frequent headaches or stomach aches

School and social life: 

• Refuses to go to school 
• Starts getting lower marks than usual 
• Doesn't want to see friends as much as usual 
• Doesn't want to take part in their usual sport and extracurricular activities 
• Avoids group gathering 
• Doesn't leave the house

Technology use: 

• Is upset during or after using technology
• Spends much longer than usual online or stops using the computer or phone 
• Stops what they're doing on the computer or hides their phone when you're around

Cyberbullying is never ok

• Cyberbullying is harmful. It's never cool, funny or OK.
• You don't have to put up with cyberbullying. 
• You can use the G.E.T.R.I.D steps to stop cyberbullying. 
  

G.E.T.R.I.D of Cyberbullying: Next steps 

• Go block or delete person who's cyberbullying. This can help to stop the offensive content. 
• Ensure you keep evidence of the bullying. Print out or take screenshots. 
• Tell someone that you trust as soon as possible. This could be a parent, sibling, relative, or close friend. 
• Report cyberbullying. Click 'Report Abuse' or complain to the eSafety Commissioner. If the messages are threatening, talk to the local police. 
• Initiate control. To break the cycle choose not to respond aggressively or seek revenge. 
• Delete online messages and posts (after saving copies). Do not send to others because they might forward them too.  

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Twelve Books for Christmas 

As 2022 winds to an end and the holiday season approaches, we would like to encourage you to buy someone you love, or yourself, a book this Christmas. The following are recommendations from young people, carers and staff who recommend a wide variety of books for you to consider. Starting with children’s books let’s see where this story takes us…

‘At our beach, at our magic beach’… takes you through visits to the beach and the different thing we do once we are there. Exploring rock pools, jumping waves, building sandcastles and stormy day walks are presented with words that flow off your tongue and illustrations that are colourful, evocative, and detailed enough for little ones to pick things out (think watermelon and hat). This book is my family’s favourite and continues to be so with the appearance of grandchildren. Board book, paperback and hardcover versions are available with a 30th Anniversary special edition being released this year. Available from all good bookstores, prices start at around $12.00               

The book is ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’ – This is a great children’s book and much loved by me. I didn’t read a lot growing up, but this is one I remember well. A great gift for any child – or you can always take a short cut and buy the movie instead!

This is a book about a Pigeon that tries a lot of different strategies to convince someone to let him drive a big bus. It is a humorous look at persuasion.

My Shadow is Pink tells a story of acceptance and normalising different. Though it is a children’s book, My Shadow is Pink has an important message for all ages. We loved it so much; we donated copies to our primary school and daycare. This beautiful book is a must for every home.

BOOK 5. I think I Love You - Auriane Desombre

I love how this book explored Queer relationships creating well-developed characters in a really good story. As a Queer person I felt represented and understood which means a lot to me. It let me know that I am okay as I am.

My favourite audio book is called Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey. It's based on his life but focuses on how the ups and downs lead us to where we need to be and what looks like an issue or problem can become a blessing in the end, a "Greenlight". Matthew reads it himself and is great. I highly recommend audio books to those that are busy and still want to read, you can play them in the car, while cooking or walking or even in the shower! Lol.

This is a book that I would not have personally chosen, and I am so glad another member of my book club did. Although the book is set in the 50s & 60s highlighting sexism of that time, the whole story is still relevant now in today’s modern society. Focusing on empowerment of women I found this to be a truly inspiring book and I hope others enjoy it as much as I have.

BOOK 8. The Deal of a Lifetime - Fredrik Backman
Recommended by: Chantelle Dillon
This book is brilliant! A story set on Christmas Eve between an estranged father and son. The father has been given an unexpected chance to do something remarkable that could change the destiny of a little girl he hardly knows. But before he can make the deal of a lifetime, he must find out what his own life has been worth, and only his son can reveal that answer. A story told with humour and compassion, it reminds us that life is a fleeting gift, and our legacy rests in how we share that gift with others.

BOOK 9. Damaged - Cathy Glass
Recommended by: Gail Clark
This is a heart wrenching true story involving foster care. This book is about how we can really make a difference doing what we do.
BOOK 10. Mindset - Dr Carol Dweck
Recommended by: Deklan James
The words we use when we talk to others are important. How we view others determines whether we interact in a loving and supportive way. Our mindset and the developing the mindset of others is really important. Backed up by research it is not surprising that our education system is bringing this book into schools for teachers to help our children reach their full potential and be more resilient in the face of adversity. If you want, you can see Dr Carol Dweck’s Google talk about the research on YouTube.

This book is always on everyone’s recommended list because it is a simple, easy to follow guide to help anyone become more financially secure. It doesn’t matter what your financial position is, the recommendations in the book apply to all circumstances. A great read for teens approaching adulthood, adults who are lost when it comes to money management and those interested to start reading about how to become more financially secure. There is no fancy jargon and hard to understand content – it is easy to read. Many would have already read this book but if you haven’t – put it under the tree this year for yourself, for your secret Santa, or for your teen approaching independence. You can’t go wrong with this book. PS - there is also a ‘Barefoot Kids’ book – a version specifically for the younger ones aged 7-13 years old.  

THE BEST SCI-FI BOOK I HAVE READ IN DECADES!!!! This is the second book of a trilogy written by Chinese author Cixin Liu. It is a book that I never wanted to stop reading when I picked it up and I did not want it to end as I got to those final pages. A beautifully woven story with very deep philosophical questions that highlights the good, the bad, and the ugly in humanity. If you are a sci-fi fan then Cixin belongs on your bookshelf alongside Arthur C. Clark, Asimov, H.G. Wells and the other greats of this genre.

WOW! What an adventure with a wide variety of books for kids and adults alike. If you think that a book you have read should have been shared so others know about it, you are welcome to let us know. Everyone is invited to make recommendations or send in a review any time you so desire.

Wishing you all a marvellous time this festive season and I look forward to seeing you all again in 2023.