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A new start ….
Fiona and Matthew were referred to our North and West Family Services . Both had been diagnosed with serious mental health issues and prior heavy drug use and neither had any support from their families . Baby Dylan was two months old and Erin , aged four , had been assessed with developmental delay . Despite all the challenges , Fiona and Matthew were highly motivated to be good parents . Twelve months later , Fiona and Matthew feel their lives have turned around . Their mental health has stabilised and Fiona attends drug / alcohol and trauma counseling regularly . Matthew got his licence through our L2P driving program and is now in full-time employment . Fiona so appreciated the support she received from our mentoring mum ’ s program , she is planning to study midwifery . Baby Dylan is meeting his milestones and Erin has made significant gains through participation in supported child care and speech pathology . Our staff have been so impressed with the changes these young parents have made .
workers are there to help her navigate the legal issues , find a new home , link her to her community and to provide the emotional support and advocacy she will need .
Education – the path to the future ….
Isaac hadn ’ t been to school regularly because of a dysfunctional and chaotic family life . When Isaac came to our residential unit , it was clear that he had a passion for reading . However , it took six months of patient work by our outreach worker to encourage Isaac to try school again at our School in Noble Park . With constant attention and encouragement from our committed teachers , Isaac is now working towards completing the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning . He has developed a love for adventure fantasy and says “ I read because I like it , I read at least a couple of hours a day and once I start reading , I find it hard to stop ”. He has also designed and made a bookcase to store his growing collection of books .
Saying no to violence ….
Phillipa is a 29 year old Aboriginal woman , caring for her three children and a ten year old niece . After six years of extreme violence , property damage , financial hardship due to her partner ’ s drug addiction and isolation , Phillipa decided she had had enough . Assessed as high risk , a safety plan was developed for Phillipa and the children , which meant moving into a refuge . Phillipa faces many challenges as she rebuilds her life on her own , but our committed family violence
of our storiess
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