Foster care updates - December 2025

Congratulations and many thanks to…

Shellie & Shannon Howlett
who reached their five year anniversary of caring for Allambi Care 
on 1^st December 2025

Mary-Anne & Dean Millington
who reached their one year anniversary of caring for Allambi Care 
on 20^th December 2025

Carer catch-up morning tea

The second morning tea was held on November 25^th. We arranged for Emily and Jaice from the Live, Learn, Grow Team at Newcastle University to attend and chat about how they can help young people from OOHC navigate university. They also brought crafts for the carers to take part in and it was great to see people relaxed and chatting with each other. Coffee and cake from Al’s Café completed the morning and you can see some of the talented results. Look out for the next morning tea coming up in 2026!

Christmas pool party

The Christmas party was held at the Lambton Swim Centre again this year and everyone who came along had a great time. The slide was hired for three hours, snacks, fruit and barbecued sausages plus salad was provided along with drinks.

This was topped off with a visit from Santa. Photos with Santa were taken in the ‘Santa cave’ and if you were there and want a copy of these, please let your Case Worker know.

Looking for a park that caters for little people and teenagers? Try the Wallsend Active Hub!

The Hub is part of Federal Park in Wallsend. It was opened in October 2022 and is next to the Wallsend Pool so you could take your gang for a swim after they have played.

The Wallsend Active Hub includes a play space featuring equipment for a variety of ages, pump track for bikes, scooters and skateboards and multi-sports courts allowing for basketball and futsal, rebound wall, climbing wall and fitness stations. The hub caters for community members with accessibility requirements with a connecting pathway, accessible swing and an all-abilities spinning carousel in the play space. There is seating around the playground with a clear line of sight from the playground to pump track and the sports courts. There are picnic facilities and toilets and BBQ’s are on their way.

Training calendar - December

December 18th 7pm to 8pm  | ONLINE: Becoming a Carer for Kids Information session

Do you know someone who is interested in fostering? Pass on this information.

Join us for an online information session designed especially for new and prospective carers. Hosted by Carers for Kids NSW, the session features a representative from the NSW Department of Communities and Justice and a local carer sharing their firsthand experience. 

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All sessions will need to be registered for. Go to Training opportunities for carers - Carers for Kids NSW if you would like to participate in any of these sessions.

Tried the viral 'Christmas Crack' yet?

This combination of salty pretzels, toffee and chocolate is a definite hit with anyone who has tried it!

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 packed cup dark brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups pretzels (some broken up)
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• Flakey sea salt for topping

 Cooking instructions:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius
• Line a 25cm x 38cm baking tray with foil and grease.
• Whisk together the butter, brown sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium heat and let it boil for 4-5 minutes or until toffee is formed (270-290 degrees if using a candy thermometer)
• Stir in the pretzels and then pour onto the baking sheet. Spread out the pretzels as evenly as possible. Alternatively, you can arrange the pretzels on the tray and then pour the toffee over them.
• Bake for 5 minutes
• Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the toffee. Let sit until the chocolate has melted.
• Spread the melted chocolate to cover the toffee if needed. Sprinkle with the sea salt.
• Let it cool completely before cracking into pieces.

Nutritional information:

• Calories: don’t think about it
• Carbohydrates: see calories
• Protein: not enough
• Fat: enjoy every mouthful
• Deliciousness: you will eat the whole tray and have to make another one.