Media Release

Friday, 21 March 2021

Everyone Belongs, Everyone Deserves a Stable, Nurturing Home on Harmony Day

My Forever Family NSW want people from multicultural backgrounds to know there are children that need culturally appropriate care. This Harmony Day, the program has launched a campaign to attract more multicultural carers and they are using a key event on the 24th of March at Cabramatta Leagues Club to communicate the need for more carers within Cabramatta’s culturally rich community.

Australia, 21 March 2021: Today, My Forever Family NSW launches their annual Harmony Day campaign and they are tapping into the culturally diverse community of Cabramatta to increase the awareness of the need for more carers from a multitude of backgrounds.

Harmony Day is about celebrating diversity and cultural difference, as well as belonging and inclusion. Right now, we need 350 homes for children in care, and people from diverse backgrounds have a key role to play in providing support and keeping children connected to their culture.

Jade Vu, a carer from Sydney’s inner west, spoke about her experience in caring for children from out-of-home care and why she first became a carer, “I just wanted to provide these children with a home and a family, a place where they could feel safe. Children in care really just need to feel like they belong and are part of a family.”

“Language or culture should not and cannot be a barrier to providing the support that these children need.”

Ms Vu went on to say, “To keep these children connected to their culture I enjoy immersing them in their traditions, food and festivities that pertain to their cultural heritage. It is so important that they understand where they came from and how they came to be in care.”

The ongoing theme for Harmony Day is ‘Everyone Belongs’, and with almost 17,000 children in out-of-home care across NSW there is a significant number of children who do not have a place where they can honestly say they belong.

Spokesperson for My Forever Family NSW Michelle Stacpoole discussed the campaign, and the need to find more homes for children across the state. “It is crucial to keep children connected to their background and cultural heritage, so they can have that sense of belonging.”

“However, safety, stability and nurture underpin a child’s ability to thrive, and the fact is we need to secure more homes which offer this type of environment.”

“We are putting the call out, right now, to people from diverse backgrounds to get in contact with us. We have language support and can help to advise those interested learning about how to become a carer. Like Jade, we want carers who can immerse children in their traditions and cultural heritage.”

“Diversity is no barrier to offering the care and support a child needs.”

For all media enquiries or to request an interview, please contact:

Jonathan Sweet

0400 679 329

media@adoptchange.org.au