I am not going to mention the word on everyone's lips or talk about the level of distraction currently in our everyday lives.

With Information coming from all directions, it can be difficult to remember to take a breath sometimes. What we have got for you, especially to help keep you resilient and tenacious, even powerful, in a climate where there is less control in our day, is our unwavering support.

Our Carer Support Team – Please remember our Carer Support team are just a phone call or email away. They are a reliable source of information and can help support you no matter your concern, question or need for information – whether you are exploring the option of becoming a carer, commencing your journey or well into your carer journey. 

The Online Lounge Room – "grab your tea or coffee, for 40 minutes of caring and sharing”, and look at the line up for next week and beyond. Alex our Training Manager will link some of these to special events in your area and surrounds, with a focus on existing carer support groups. With the cancellation of our face-to-face training and events we are looking at more ways to connect online - through our Online Lounge Room and by increasing our webinar and online training opportunities. Please make sure that you check the events section of our website regularly, as we will post all new opportunities there. 

Our Carer Portal – We’re excited to have launched our Carer Portal – with exclusive access to our resources and events and a personal record of your training. If you haven’t logged in yet, there are instructions below - so please take the time to read.

With the increasing pressure on families at this time, I urge you to practice self-care, make use of our online resources and find alternative ways to connect. We have included links to other organisations and resources that may help you and your family.

Please keep safe and well, keep caring and keep in touch.

Miriam Moloney
Head of Advocacy, Engagement and Operations  

Coronavirus information for carers

The Department of Communities and Justice have created a page with information about COVID-19 that relates specifically to carers. With answers to common questions and links to trusted and verified sources of information, this is the most up-to-date information for carers from the department.

Make sure you bookmark this link and check for updates

If you have visited our website recently you may have noticed some changes. Our new Carer Portal has now launched for authorised carers and agencies. Before registering for any of our training events or resources you need to login to the Carer Portal.

For carers – you can go to the login page and, using the same email that you received this e-newsletter at, enter your email and select retrieve my password.

For agencies – You will need to create an account by selecting Join the Carer Portal

We launched the first session in our Online Lounge Room last Friday – Talking to your kids about COVID-19, which booked out quickly. If you missed that session, don’t worry we are planning more over the coming weeks at different times of the day.

Seats in the Online Lounge Room are capped to 20 to ensure that you can participate easily and ask any questions you may have. Our upcoming sessions include more sessions of Talking to your kids about COVID-19 and Managing kids in isolation. Register via our Events page and keep checking back for updated sessions.

The First 2000 days project is focused on understanding the experiences of all NSW families when raising a child. The project starts from conception up to children who are 5 years of age.

They are particularly interested in foster, relative and kinship carers and adoptive parents from South Sydney, Armidale, Coffs Harbour, South West Sydney, Inner West Sydney, Willmot, Dubbo, Coonamble, Walgett, South West NSW, Broken Hill and Lake Illawarra.

Please fill in the online form if you are interested in being part of this Project.

The NSW Department of Education is changing the process for delivering Out of Home Care (OOHC) funding to support students in statutory OOHC which commenced from October 2019.

Find out why and how this affects you and the child or young person in your care.

If you would like to contribute, have your say or simply ask a question, please