Fact Sheets and Resources

Emergency and crisis support

Parenting and behaviour

• Time-in versus time-out
• Creating a safe emotional space for your child
• Supporting your child with self-regulation of their emotions
• Parent help - strengthening self-regulation

Health, wellbeing and mental health

• Seeing your GP
• Considering therapy?
• Engaging a therapist
• The Better Access to Mental Health Care Initiative
• Kids Health Information - Royal Children’s Hospital resources related to children’s health and wellbeing
• Better Health Channel – health and medical information to improve the health and wellbeing of people and the communities they live in.

Education support

• School assistance with expenses
• Additional Child Care Subsidy information and fact sheet
• Calmer Classrooms: A guide to working with traumatised children
• The Education Guide for Carers of Children Living in Out-of-Home Care
• Raising Expectations - supports young people in out-of-home care and care leavers to aspire to, access and succeed in vocational and higher education.
• Great Expectations: Supporting children and young people in out-of-home care to achieve at school
• Department of Education and Training - Information for carers and parents about educational services from 0 – 17 years.

Financial support for families

• PCA Families’ Flexible Funding program for permanent care, additional needs adoptive and families with a family law court order in receipt of DHHS care allowance. 
• DHHS Care Allowance - care allowances for assessed and approved foster care, kinship care, permanent care and additional needs local adoptive families. The care allowance contributes to the day-to-day costs incurred while providing for children and young people placed in statutory home-based care or adopted through the Victorian additional needs local adoption program.
• Carer Allowance & Payment - Services Australia - payments to assist with the cost of caring for a child/children who has a severe disability or illness. 
• Parenting Payment - Services Australia – government support payment while you are a child’s main carer.

Financial support for young adults

• Scholarships, bursaries and financial assistance from universities
• Skills first Youth Access Initiative
• Youth Allowance is available for students between 16 and 21, or up to 25 if you are a full-time student.
• Study Assist for students to acquire a HELP loan or other government assistance for financing tertiary study.
• ABSTUDY help for young Aboriginal people with study/apprenticeship costs 

Disability

• The National Disability Insurance Scheme - provides funding and support to people with a disability
• Kindergarten Inclusion Support Program (KIS) - kindergarten inclusion for children with disabilities
• Association for Children with a Disability - resources, support and guidance
• Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) - If your child has disabilities or special needs and is on a permanent care order (PCO) and remains dependent as an adult, you can apply for an order appointing you as a plenary guardian.

Supporting young people who are LGBTQI

• Young people who are gay or lesbian - Parenting SA publication about supporting young people’s sexual identity

Legal Matters – Permanent Care

The information contained in these legal fact sheets are designed and intended to provide general information about the current law in Victoria and were considered to be true and correct at the date of publication. Since publication the law has been amended, with changes implemented in 2016.  Read the amended legislation here.

To the best of PCA Families knowledge the information contained in these Fact Sheets continues to be true and accurate.

• Now that I have a Permanent Care Order, what do I need to know?
• Rights of the child in permanent Care
• Contact arrangements
• Now that a Permanent Care Order is in place, do I need to go back to court?
• Will and succession rights of carers and Children in Permanent Care
• Other Legal Issues 
• Am I eligible to claim Paid Parental Leave as a permanent care parent?
• Am I eligible to see Child Support payments for my child under a Permanent Care Order
• Applying for a passport when your child is on a Permanent Care Order
• Application for 'Change of Name' for children on Permanent Care Orders

Child protection

• Child Protection - DHHS Services - The role of Child Protection Services, reporting child abuse, description of order types and how to contact your local child protection in Victoria
• Charter for Children in Out-of-Home Care – the rights of children in out of home care
• United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child – child friendly version of the Convention
• National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2009–2020 - is a long-term approach to ensure the safety and wellbeing of Australia’s children and aims to deliver a substantial and sustained reduction in levels of child abuse and neglect over time.
• DHHS Roadmap for Reform: Strong Families, Safe Children – The 'Roadmap for Reform’ sets out the DHHS strategy for reform of children, youth and family services.

Support organisations

• Foster Care Association of Victoria – peak body for foster carers
• Kinship Care Victoria / Grandparents Victoria – peak body for kinship carers
• Mirabel Foundation - assists children who have been orphaned or abandoned due to parental illicit drug use and are now in the care of extended family (kinship care)
• Relationship Matters – intercounty adoption and family support services
• CREATE Foundation - consumer body representing the voices of children and young people with an out of home care experience
• Victorian Child Care Agency (VACCA) - state-wide Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO) serving children, young people, families, and community members

Setting up support groups

To find out more about PCA Families’ peer support groups, please visit the Peer Support page.

• Dealing with sensitive issues in support groups
• Setting up a playgroup?
• Legal and public liability issues for support groups