As we near the end of Foster and Kinship Carer’s Week, one of the ways that Lutheran Care celebrates the contributions that carers make to the lives of children and young people is through our annual Carer Appreciation Event.
Held earlier this year at the Adelaide Zoo in July, it was the largest appreciation event organised by Lutheran Care to date.
Carers, staff and VIPs enjoyed a delicious three-course lunch at the lovely Fig Tree Function Centre, while children and young people explored the zoo with their support networks.
The delicious luncheon was booked out for 90, while an additional 89 children and young people, and 55 support networks were catered for with personalised ‘Panda Packs’. This meant they could enjoy a day at the zoo while carers enjoyed quality connection time with each other.
Dedicated to doing things a little bit differently, Lutheran Care extended carers the opportunity to invite their own family support networks to care for the young people while they enjoyed an adults-only occasion. In this way, children and young people were cared for by people known to them, which speaks to Lutheran Care’s endorsement of ‘it takes a village to raise a child’. Some carers made a weekend out of the event and stayed in Adelaide, while others enjoyed the afternoon roaming and exploring with their extended village of support.
Highlights of the day included connecting with other Foster Carers, a personal encouragement from the Department for Child Protection Chief Executive Jackie Bray and a special Welcome to Country by Ashum Yarlupina Owen from Ngangki Warra.
The Carer Appreciation Event is part of Lutheran Care’s celebrations for Foster and Kinship Carer’s Week (10-16 September 2023) and all Lutheran Care carer households received gifts to say thank you for the amazing ways they help children and young people.
Carers have also been encouraged to attend one of the many events that the Department for Child Protection hosted during the week in celebration of all Foster and Kinship Carers.
Foster and Kinship Carer’s Week is recognised annually to celebrate the contributions that all carers make to the lives of children and young people. To find out more, visit www.childprotection.sa.gov.au/events/events/carersweek23
Be the Village. Find out more about Foster Care here.