Kinship Carers Victoria’s series of Resource Booklets and other resources for carers.
Non-physical types of discipline for children & young people
Cyber safety for children & young people
Mental health and family relationships
Emergency and useful contacts for kinship carers
Children & young people with an emotional or physical disability
LGBTQIA+ families & communities
Grief and loss
Diet, nutrition and wellbeing
Relaxation techniques for carers
The importance of quality sleep
Jack Changes the Game
PODCAST
Navigating difficult conversations
Kinship carers sometimes find themselves in complex situations. Consequently, they might be involved in challenging conversations with schools, case managers, family members and the children in their care. Knowing how to handle these conversations calmly and effectively is a key to making sure a child’s needs are understood and that carers feel respected, supported and empowered.
In this episode KCV speaks with educator and wellbeing consultant Megan Corcoran, Director of the Wagtail Institute, about how kinship carers can approach difficult conversations with clarity and confidence. Megan brings expertise and lived understanding to her work in education, psychology and emotional safety, and has a deep understanding of the pressures kinship carers face.
PODCAST
Understanding and embracing autism and neurodiversity in children and young people
In this podcast, KCV speaks with Dr Emma Goodall, the Director of South Australia’s Office for Autism. Dr Goodall, who is the parent of an autistic adult, has worked extensively in the area of autism, education, research and public policy, and teacher training.
Dr Goodall defines autism and neurodiversity, explains how autism can present differently in different genders, and outlines key things carers need to understand about neurodivergence in order to support the children and young people in their care. She also offers some approaches to help autistic and neurodiverse children develop the skills to self-regulate their feelings and emotions to help with everyday tasks and situations.
This podcast relates to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child ‑ Articles 2, 23. Read a summary of the articles in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
PODCAST
Combatting Loneliness
The effects of loneliness have been studied worldwide.
The research shows that being socially isolated or lonely is as bad for your health as smoking, obesity, substance abuse and other mental health issues.
In previous studies by KCV, some carers have described feeling isolated from their former social circles once they became carers.
In this podcast, KCV speaks with clinical psychologist Dr Michelle Lim, Australian scientific expert on loneliness.
PODCAST
Cyber safety for children and young people
Children and young people spend significant amounts of their lives online in the cyber world, but how do we ensure that their online experiences are safe?
In this podcast we speak with Susan McLean of cyber safety education organisation Cybersafety Solutions. Susan is acknowledged as Australia’s foremost expert in the area of cyber safety and young people, and answers many of the questions carers contemplate.
PODCAST
Diet and nutrition for neurodiverse children and young people
What is neurodiversity? This is a term describing the idea that people experience and interact with the world in many varied ways, but there is no one ‘right’ way of thinking, learning or behaving, with these differences not viewed as deficits.
Nikki Valentini, Clinical Nutritionist, functional medicine practitioner and director of SuperNature Nutrition, joined Kinship Carers Victoria to speak in depth about the effect of diet/nutrition on children with autism, ADHD, OCD and other types of neurodiversity.
PODCAST
Grief and Loss
Grief is an unavoidable part of what it is to be human. When individuals and families experience a loss, every member of the family processes their grief in different ways. Carers need to face the difficulty of managing their caring role while knowing how to help children understand their grief – all whilst also trying to accept and deal with their own feelings.
In this podcast we speak with Janice Butera from Grief Australia who shares her knowledge about the challenges that can occur for families when faced with loss. Janice also offers some strategies for families to use in navigating their way through these difficult periods.
PODCAST
Preparing for Access Visits
Access or contact visits with biological family may produce a range of emotions in children in kinship care families.
The visits can be formal or informal, and sometimes supervised by a professional, such as a child protection worker or agency worker, or even by the kinship carer themselves.
In this podcast, KCV speaks with Adam Lyons from Lancaster Consulting about the more common issues carers face in preparing children for access visits and outlines strategies for debriefing children afterwards.
This podcast relates to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child ‑ Article 37. Read a summary of the articles in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
This podcast links to the KCV resource book on Planning for More Effective Access Visits
PODCAST
The Benefits of Play
What does the latest research tell us about the benefits of play for the wellbeing of children and young people? The report Australian Families: How we play has findings of great interest to kinship carers.
In this podcast KCV speaks with paediatrician and researcher Dr Anthea Rhodes. Anthea has clinical interests in the health needs of the vulnerable child.
This podcast relates to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child ‑ Article 31. Read a summary of the articles in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
PODCAST
The Importance of Quality Sleep
Sleep plays a vital part in our wellbeing – do we get the right amount of it?
Clinical psychologist Dr Damon Ashworth, author of Deliberately Better Sleep, talks with KCV about the three major factors affecting our sleep and issues such as waking up at night, napping, the right amount of sleep and the long-term effects of not getting enough sleep.
This podcast also includes interviews with two carers who share their stories around their sleeping patterns and how they manage this whilst dealing with their kinship carer responsibilities.
PODCAST
The Benefits of Hobbies & Other Pursuits
In a recent survey on stress and wellbeing conducted by the Australian Psychological Society, four in five participants found activities like listening to music and spending time on a hobby were effective ways of managing stress.
Finding an enjoyable pastime can also improve social connections, and stave off depression or anxiety.
In this podcast, KCV speaks with two carers on their carer circumstances and about what part hobbies and other meaningful pursuits play in their lives.
PODCAST
The Benefits of Exercise
This podcast outlines the benefits of exercise, with suggestions for carers on different types of moderate exercise and how they can incorporate them into their lives.
Includes advice from fitness expert Nic Dorian of Castlemaine Women’s Health & Fitness.
The podcast also features interviews with two carers who share details of exercise they practise.
This podcast relates to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child ‑ Articles 17, 25, 32. Read a summary of the articles in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
PODCAST
Diet and Stress
There is much information currently available about how, what and when to eat.
In this podcast KCV speaks with clinical nutritionist and functional medicine practitioner Nikki Valentini.
Nikki explains how certain foods and nutrients help us deal better with stress and anxiety while other types of foods and eating patterns have been linked to increases in these feelings – and even to other psychological issues and illness.
The podcast also includes interviews with carers who share their relationship to food and some of their dietary patterns.
PODCAST
Connecting with Others
Many carers have developed strategies or networks to assist them in overcoming feelings of isolation.
This podcast provides suggestions for kinship carers on how they can form meaningful connections with friends, family, neighbours and the community to help them support their own physical and psychological wellbeing.
The podcast also includes interviews with several carers who share their experiences of challenges the carer role has brought up and how they have managed social isolation before, during and after the pandemic.
This podcast relates to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child ‑ Articles 9, 10, 37. Read a summary of the articles in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
This podcast links to the KCV resource book on Running a Support Group/Being a Representative
PODCAST
Sleep and wellbeing
In this podcast on sleep and wellbeing, KCV spoke to psychologist Dr Melissa Weinberg, Honorary Fellow from the Department of Psychology at Deakin University.
Dr Weinberg discusses the effects sleeping poorly or well can have on a person’s physical and psychological health and suggests a series of valuable tips on how carers can improve their own patterns of sleep as well as those of the children or young people in their care.
This podcast links to the KCV resource book on The Importance of Quality Sleep
PODCAST
Creating happiness
Dr Sanjiv Chopra is a professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School, a best-selling author and sought-after motivational speaker.
In an episode of The Bucket Podcast (@thebucket.com) broadcast on 10 October 2019, Dr Chopra spoke about his book, The Two Most Important Days: How to Find Your Purpose and Live a Happy and Healthy Life.
This KCV podcast draws on the contents of his book and that podcast to present evidence on how happiness can be a choice in our lives.
Dr Chopra contends that there are four things that have been scientifically shown to be associated with happiness: friends, forgiveness, giving and gratitude.
Kinship Carers Victoria WELLBEING MAGAZINES FOR KINSHIP CARERS
Click here to download your PDF copy of the Nutrition Guide (2.3MB)
Click here to download your PDF copy of issue #7 (2MB)
