WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT TO PREVENT THE CLOSURE OF THE BUMBLEBEES THERAPEUTIC PRESCHOOL (BTPS) ON THE 28TH FEBRUARY, 2015.
WHAT IS THE BUMBLEBEES THERAPEUTIC PRESCHOOL?
* The BTPS provides a therapeutic programme for very young children between the ages of 3 to 5 years who have been sexually abused or experienced domestic violence.
* This includes a therapeutic preschool for the children, and home visiting and parent education for families.
* In the last four years it has worked with over 600 very young children and 2000 family members.
* You can read more about the BTPS at the Phoenix House web site
www.phoenixhouse.com.au
* On the 23rd December, 2014, Phoenix House was notified that federal funding (through the Department of Social Services) for the BTPS would cease from the 28th February, 2015. The federal government’s change of policy direction requires
programmes to be a “comprehensive service mix accessible to the entire community”.
WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT THE FAMILIES WHO WERE EXPECTING TO
START IN THE JOURNEY OF RECOVERY WITH THEIR CHILDREN WILL LOSE
THIS CRITICAL SUPPORT
What Will Your Funds Enable Us to Do?
Your generous donations will:
* Provide wages for a Social Worker, a Teacher, and an Aboriginal Family Support Worker;
* Pay rent for the BTPS premises;
* Provide healthy meals during the BTPS sessions for the children;
* Purchase fuel for transport for children to and from the BTPS, and for home visits;
* Ensure utility bills are paid;
* Purchase resources for daily activities such as paint and other arts and crafts;
* Pay for exprets to visit the BTPS, and excursions to take place;
* Provide counselling for very young children and families who cannot access the BTPS for whatever reason; and,
* Provide support and education for other early childhood services supporting traumatised children.
We Will Be Able To:
Provide the BTPS on two days a week for 9 children per term who have been sexually abused or experienced domestic violence. The BTPS provides three streams of care:
- The Education Stream is stage appropriate and provides a combination of play based learning and age appropriate curricula. This stream aims to increase school readiness in vulnerable and traumatised children, as well as reintegrating children into mainstream
kindergarten/preschool at the earliest opportunity.
- The Therapeutic Stream utilises a range of supportive and psychodynamic therapies with children individually and in groups. It aims to increase a secure base for children; positive peer relationships; emotional and social development; social competencies;
to alleviate trauma symptoms; and to develop a healthy sexuality and protective behaviours.
- The Cultural Stream aims to educate all children about Australia's culture and history, and to enable Aboriginal children to gain a sense of spiritual connection, belonging and identity to their culture which may have been diminished through the impact
of colonisation. Cultural safety is interweaved through the preschool and daily cultural groups are provided.
Provide home visits to their families for counselling, support and parent education
Provide counselling for very young children and families who cannot access the BTPS for whatever reason
Work with day care centres and kindergartens to ensure the childrens integration back into mainstream services at the earliest opportunity.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Please support us in any way you can - every dollar counts!
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