Foundation Newsletter April 2017

Foundation April 2017 Newsletter In this issue Page 2 - A word from Bill - Carer Training Page 3 - Get Excited! We are getting a new look! Page 6 - Upcoming events Page 4 - Girl’s Camp Page 7 - Psychology Section - Fun-fi lled rainy day activites Page 5 - Psychology Section Page 8 continued - Easter Message

A word from Bill I have had this question in the front of mind and written on my desk for a long time. I also take it along to meetings to share with others!! “WHY is it that 7% of children in Out-of-Home Care go on to University education…..53% of children in the general community go on to University education - WHY?” I am no academic, in fact received very little formal education and have always felt inadequate when speaking with other highly educated colleagues. I know the major problems many of our children have faced in the school system through no fault of their own. The trauma they have suff ered has left them with unimaginable diffi culties and extra stress in having to fi t in and cope with mainstream school. Their inability to do this leaves them angry, confused and more often than not suspended, expelled and in a position where no school will take them on. So the passion I carry is for William Campbell College to be purpose built and assist many children to enjoy school and learn with teachers and staff who fully understand and accept their needs. The end result will be children learning and discovering their gifts and talents - what could be better!! Carer Training New carer training has been developed by ACWA and will be piloted by participating agencies. The training is called Shared Lives. We are proud and excited to be involved in the pilot training and will be actively providing feedback to “ ACWA to assist in developing new and innovative training for potential foster carers. WCF are involved with an exciting new pilot program This training is not designed for current carers, however you for carer training. are welcome to join if you are interested in attending. Shared Lives Pilot Training dates 13th May 20th May

Get Excited! William Campbell Foundation is excited to announce we are going through a re-brand! What is a re-brand you ask? We A re-brand is simply updating the logo of the foundation to a more modern look. In a few weeks our new brand will be launched! Keep a look out on our Facebook page for the unveil! A big thank you to all those who g spread the word about our free e photo shoot! Spaces have been are t fi lled and we are snapping away t at some awesome locations in the i Shoalhaven and Illawarra! n g We also want to let you know that we will be launching a new website. At times our current website will not a be available and we apologize in advance for the inconvenience. If you need any information urgently whilst the website is not available please contact the foundation new look on 1300 130 585.

Girls Camp 10th | 11th | 12th April WCF Girls Camp | 6 - 12 years of age Cost: $40 per child Location: Nowra | Transport can be organised Last minute spots available! Contact Rachael Riddington 0488 524 168 | [email protected] Psychology Principal Psychologist - Emma Butler Section Good sleep hygiene is really important for everyone. The better sleep we have, both in quantity and quality, generally the better we will feel and we will be more able to meet the challenges of life. Sleep routines are a signifi cant part of good sleep hygiene so often the children we work with have poor sleep patterns/routines as previous care experiences did not encourage positive sleep patterns, this in turn can negatively impact the emotional and behavioural development. Further sleep is often one of the fi rst things that suff ers when we are feeling stressed, and so it is important for us to be aware of the importance of good sleep hygiene, signs of when we are neglecting good sleep practices and ways in which we can improve our sleep. The attached sheet gives a few ideas of what we can do for ourselves to improve our sleep, which will in turn improve out waking life.

Guidelines for better sleep Sleeping well is a habit that you can learn! Small changes can have big eff ects. Start today by following these rules: Take care of your body • Do not drink caff eine: no tea, coff ee, or coca-cola after 4 o’clock • Do not eat a big or spicy meal late in the evening • Do not go to bed hungry • Avoid alcohol as it interferes with sleep Physical exercise, such as a brisk walk, in the late afternoon can help to make your body tired and help you to sleep. Try to do some exercise every day. Sleep only at night-time and do not have day-time naps, no matter how tired you feel. Naps keep the problem going by making it harder for you to get to sleep the next night. Having a regular bedtime routine teaches your body when it’s time to go to sleep. • Have a soothing drink like chamomile tea or a milky drink • Have a bath, or a routine of washing your face and brushing your teeth • Go to bed at same time each night • When in bed think of nice things (e.g. think of 5 nice things that happened that day – they might be big or small, such as a nice conversation, seeing the sunshine, or hearing nice music on the radio) • Do a relaxed breathing exercise (one hand on stomach the other on your chest, deliberately slow your breathing, breathe deeply in your stomach instead of high in your chest) • Try and wake up the same time every day, even if this is tiring to begin with Coping with bad dreams can be diffi cult. Some people don’t like relaxation before going to sleep, or are scared of letting go. If that is you, try these preparation techniques instead: • Prepare yourself in case you have bad dreams by thinking of a bad dream then think of a diff erent ending for it. Practice this new ending many times before going to sleep. • Before going to sleep prepare to re-orient yourself when you wake from a bad dream. • Remind yourself that you are at home, that you are safe. Imagine your street, buses, local shops. • Put a damp towel or a bowl of water by the bed to splash your face, place a special object by the bed, such as a photograph, or a small soft toy. • Practice imagining yourself waking up from a bad dream and reorienting yourself to the present, to safety by splashing your face, touching special object, having a bottle of rose or lavender essential oil to sniff , going to window to see surroundings. • When you wake up from a bad dream- move your body if you can and reorient yourself immediately (touching an object, wetting face, going to the window, talk to yourself in a reassuring way). Make your bedroom a pleasant place to be. • Get a night light • Keep it clean and tidy • Introduce pleasant smells such as a drop of lavender oil onto the pillow • Get extra pillows • Make sure that your home is safe e.g. doors locked, windows closed. REMEMBER: Bed is for sleeping, so if you cannot sleep after 30 minutes, get up and do another activity elsewhere such as reading or listening to music (try and avoid TV as it can wake you up). After 15 minutes return to bed and try to sleep again. If you still can’t sleep after 30 minutes get up again. Repeat this routine as many times as necessary and only use your bed for sleeping in.

Upcoming events Events directly relating to WCF but also fun things to do around the Shoalhaven and Illawarra! April 1 April 8 National Smile Day School Holidays Start! :) April 8 - April 25 April 10 - 12 April 16 Girls Camp in Nowra $40 per child Easter Sunday 6 - 12 years of age Last minute spots still available April 22 April 1 - 25 Nitro Circus LIVE in Nowra T-Rex On Tour For details go to For details go to www.visitnsw.com whatsoninwollongong. com.au Easter 14 April Good Friday | 15 April Easter Saturday | 16 April Easter Sunday 17 April Easter Monday | 18 April Easter Tuesday

Fun-fi lled rainy day activities With the weather predicting rain, rain and more rain, here are some fun-fi lled activities! Glow stick balloon party! Make an epic dance party or hide and seek in the dark by making glow stick balloons that keep shining bright for hours! Pasta Pictures! Find some dried pasta, paper Household Bake off ! and PVA glue and make some pasta masterpieces! Cook up a storm in the kitchen! Homemade pizzas are great fun and there are plenty of easy biscuit and baking recipes out there too! Homemade Pizza Easy biscuit & Recipes baking recipes Paint Easter Eggs In light of the Easter spirit, grab some eggs and give them a new look!

Chaplains Chaplain - Rachael Riddington corner As far as festivities go, Easter’s defi nitely up there with Christmas; the extra looooong weekend, the hot cross buns and chocolate coming out of our ears for weeks! We make most of our iconic Cadbury Cream Egg and those evasive little Red Tulip Eggs. Every year I enthusiastically pull out the Bible story felt board and scrummage through 500+ felt pieces to source the story of Jesus’ Crucifi xion at Kids Club. This lesson is the game changer not just for our Kids, but for all of us. In a fallen world where sin and injustice are rampant, God had a plan…Jesus. He is the Saviour of the World. Through His death and His resurrection we were forgiven of each and every one of our sins and restored to a place of dignity and relationship with God. As I tell the kids, God’s not looking at you with a big stick saying, “I’m gonna hit you, you bad and naughty sinner!” But He looks upon us with nothing but Love and an absolute longing to bring us to Himself. What I love best, is that the kids actually believe me when I share this lesson. So enjoy the eggs, enjoy the hot cross buns, enjoy the the looooong weekend but with the faith of a child; BELIEVE, and enjoy Jesus this Easter! Contact 1300 130 585 Emergency and after Head Offi ce hours contact: PO Box 3035 Minnamurra NSW 2533 P: 02 4237 5566 E: headoffi [email protected] In an emergency situation: Bomaderry Offi ce - seek appropriate help 281A Princes Hwy Bomaderry NSW 2541 immediately (Ambulance, Emergency only after hours: 02 4422 9933 Police or Fire Brigade) - Contact WCF as soon Warilla Offi ce as practicable Suite 1, Commerce Drive Warilla NSW 2528 - If you are contacted Emergency only after hours: 02 4261 4000 by the police refer them immediately to WCF Ulladulla Offi ce - Case Manager or on- Offi ce 12, 44 Deering Street Ulladulla NSW 2539 call case worker will Emergency only after hours: 4455 1400 ensure that you have support and assistance as soon as possible.