Impact Newsletter December 2023

Dear supporters,

As the year draws to an end, I'd like to pause and take a look back at the events of 2023. We saw the cost of living rise rapidly, impacting the Australian housing system. We saw conflicts escalate across the globe and catastrophic natural disasters. These international events had a knock-on impact on the most vulnerable in our own communities, especially already vulnerable children and young people.

Despite the challenging times we are facing, in the past three months, the Foundation, in collaboration with our partners, volunteers and supporters, have actively pursued our vision to provide support for children and young people by running major events, kicking off our last fundraising appeal for the year and launching new initiatives.

In October and November, we saw volunteers, ambassadors, and staff hit the ground running, rain or shine, during the Spring Racing Carnival to raise funds for our National Trauma Recovery Program. And what an incredible outcome it was. Find out the significant amount we raised together here. We also launched our Christmas Appeal, sharing the story of Ethan* and how past trauma impacted his development, relationships and sense of belonging in the world. Our specialist counsellors supported Ethan's caregivers, teachers, and other important adults in his life, aiding in his recovery from past trauma. You can read more about Ethan’s inspiring recovery here.

December has been no less busy for the Foundation. We launched 'On Us: Australian Business Coalition for Safeguarding Children' in Sydney. The coalition builds on our work in safeguarding children. It is the culmination of a series of co-design workshops with major Australian businesses aiming to strengthen their capacity to keep children safe. The Foundation celebrated 20 years of our pioneering therapeutic foster care program in Victoria, Treatment and Care for Kids (TrACK). The event night saw care leavers, carers, and staff join us at the Melbourne head office to celebrate the success of creating safety, stability and connection for young people through the support of this program.

If you haven't seen it yet, we recently released our 2022-23 Annual Report. This last financial year has seen us continue to do incredible work that will all help to make our community a safer place for children and young people. You can read the report here.

Lastly, I wanted to thank you for your support and commitment to breaking the trauma cycle for children and young people, especially during such trying times as we have seen in 2023. The journey to safeguard children and young people from abuse is a challenging one, but we’re on it together. I look forward to seeing the initiatives we will achieve together in 2024.

With our warmest thanks,

Dr Joe Tucci

CEO, Australian Childhood Foundation

If you would like to contact Australian Childhood Foundation directly, you can email or call us today.

Continue reading: Ethan's* Story