Today is World Social Work Day, where we celebrate Social Workers for the incredible work they do.
It’s an event organised each year by the International Federation of Social Workers and this year’s theme is Promoting the Importance of Human Relationships. Here at Royal Far West, our Social Work team provides unique skills and services to country kids through our programs, including the Paediatric Developmental Program (PDP), Telecare and Windmill, and in community services.
Due to the devastating bushfires over the summer, our Client Care Clinical Manager, Sarah, is leading a team of our clinicians to provide mental health support and trauma counselling to impacted children and families.
Sarah and Project Coordinator Chris visited the NSW South Coast region to find out what communities need in the way of support, and we’ll soon be rolling out services to them, with the intention of strengthening their long-term wellbeing and resilience as well as supporting their physical and mental health.
Sarah says, “It can be hard to describe what Social Workers do to help as it varies depending on what each child and family needs. We may support a parent to get the help they want for their own mental health, or we may work with local services to advocate for more practical help, family support or therapy. Sometimes parents simply want to be listened to, and to know that we are working alongside them to help their child”.
We’ll be keeping you up-to-date with Sarah and her team’s visits to bushfire affected communities via Facebook and LinkedIn. Finally, we’d like to say a huge thank you to our Social Work team for their skills, knowledge and passion, on World Social Work Day and every other day.