00:00:29 [Maree] Co-Parenthood they come to my house.
00:00:30 They spend time with the kids
00:00:32 and that may allow me to do my washing or do my dishes.
00:00:36 So I'm still right there with them as well,
00:00:38 but it's just having someone else to help me
00:00:41 and interact with my kids.
00:00:42 I'm Maori and my partner is Aboriginal.
00:00:45 So we're getting help with learning more about
00:00:48 the original culture and they've also helped put my daughter
00:00:52 into day care one day a week, which has been amazing.
00:01:03 So at the end of the process when you've got all
00:01:05 of these wonderful policies and procedures step back,
00:01:08 and, again, do what I've just said,
00:01:10 if I were a child, how would I know this is a safe place?
00:01:14 If I were a parent, how would I know this a safe place?
00:01:17 If I were a carer, what would I know about safety?
00:01:20 That's the angle we've got to get to.
00:01:27 Traditional solutions are really focused on experts
00:01:29 having all the answers
00:01:30 and Co-Parenthood is not like that.
00:01:32 So, Co-Parenthood it has used a co-design approach.
00:01:36 I don't miss any of his milestones
00:01:38 or events of any sort and I'm learning Wiradjuri
00:01:42 so that I can teach him our native tongue.
00:01:45 I find they're very, very settled children
00:01:47 once you build a relationship with their family.
00:01:53 I wanna make that transition
00:01:55 as smooth as possible for them.
00:02:03 It's amazing what commitment can do for a young person.
00:02:08 What consistent staff who are willing to go the extra mile.
00:02:12 And not just staff, I think genuine carers.
00:02:22 This environment allows us the chance as teachers
00:02:25 to build that rapport that's absolutely fundamental
00:02:28 to work with these young people
00:02:30 and to work with the families.
00:02:32 I've noticed with Taylah,
00:02:34 her independence has grown so much.
00:02:37 Now she's listening, learning.
00:02:40 I'm looking at a completely different girl
00:02:43 and that's all because of here.
00:02:52 We use the service as a form of respite for our son
00:02:55 who doesn't get much respite outside of normal school.
00:02:59 It's had a huge impact on our family
00:03:00 and it's given him a lot of confidence.
00:03:03 He loves being with peers on a similar level to himself
00:03:07 where he doesn't feel like he's an outcast.
00:03:09 We know we've achieved positive outcomes
00:03:11 when we're getting phone calls from the parents saying,
00:03:13 "When can the kids come back,
00:03:14 "because they had the best time on your programs?"
00:03:23 The last 12 months has been a time of great excitement,
00:03:26 change and challenge for the team at Good Grief.
00:03:29 We're very grateful to MacKillop Family Services,
00:03:32 to the Board, the members, the leadership team
00:03:34 and to the staff in general
00:03:35 for warmly welcoming us into the fold.
00:03:37 We soon found that because of the sanctuary principles
00:03:40 and values that we had a common language
00:03:42 and we're able to say to the communities in which we work
00:03:45 and which we live, that MacKillop Family Services
00:03:48 is about bringing good, solid services to those communities.
00:03:51 We've also really enjoyed and benefited
00:03:54 from being able to access specialized services
00:03:58 and been a part of a larger organization
00:04:00 like the clinical support team that have really assisted us
00:04:04 and been able to provide great support for our young people.
00:04:13 [MacKillop Services Member] We've had a significant
00:04:14 local engagement, really that's been driven
00:04:17 by our wonderful staff who have brought up great networks
00:04:22 and understandings of the local community.
00:04:24 And they brought people in for us to meet with,
00:04:28 to listen to, to build relationships that really
00:04:33 make sure that our work with children and families
00:04:36 improves in a way that's respectful,
00:04:40 relationship-driven and provides us with opportunities
00:04:43 to really make a difference.