When loss, change or disasters happen, children can be impacted in different ways, and it is important that they are provided with the right support. The Community Recovery Services team – consisting of social workers, psychologists, occupational therapists, and speech pathologists – works alongside early childhood centres and primary schools to provide this support.
RFW’s Community Recovery Services provides support for children aged 0–12yrs, and the adults around these children, to improve resilience and wellbeing and decrease the likelihood of long-term adverse impacts. To cater to the unique needs of each impacted community, our program offers a menu of options, allowing the participating school or early childhood centre to select the services that best meet their needs.
Our team has travelled across the country, supporting schools affected by catastrophic disasters such as bushfires and floods. One of the areas our team has recently supported is Two Mile State School in Gympie, QLD. Gympie was one of many towns sadly impacted by the devastating floods of early 2022. Working collaboratively with the school, our Community Recovery Services team designed the service delivery around the needs of the community. Some of the work the RFW team have done to support the school community includes developing a children’s group program, ‘Stormbirds’. This was specifically designed to support Year 2 students impacted by the 2022 floods, increasing their knowledge and understanding of strategies to cope with grief, change and loss.