Family Support – Southern Peninsula

MPF in collaboration with long term philanthropic partner, The Ross Trust, has supported the Family Support Program at the Southern Peninsula Community Support and Information Centre in Rosebud since 2018.

This is similar to family support provided at the Western Port Community Support Centre, which is part of the Western Port Learning Guarantee. This work was identified by the community as of vital importance in relation to individual and community economic and social wellbeing.

Tracey Byrne is the Family Support Worker in Rosebud. The client led service is unique being in an emergency relief centre where immediate material needs are taken care of, then allowing Tracey to build trust and provide intensive casework support, information, referral, and advocacy.

Tracey uses an empowerment model working with families to identify goals that will improve their daily living and then work with them to find solutions.

The key reasons families seek support are: financial stress, lack of affordable housing, family violence, education resources for children.

Tracey says, “Our families often lack the finances, education, social supports, and family connections that we might enjoy when we navigate difficult circumstances in life. Many families have accessed mainstream supports before attending the FSS program and may have severed relationships and trust within the mainstream system. However, they continue to actively seek out food supports for their children and feel welcome within our centre.”