More than 70 community members attended the inaugural Coffee with a Caseworker in Parkes last week.
“It was a wonderful success in bringing the community together for Child Protection Week,” said Brenda Hart Senior Caseworker at the Parkes Community Service Centre.
“We hope to make this an annual event for Parkes to keep the importance of supporting children and families in our community’s minds and conversations.”
Roasted Kombi Café owners, Darrin Gibson, Deborah Mitchell and Kelvin Rowe welcomed the event and hosted caseworkers from the Department of Communities and Justice who interacted with the public.
The purpose of the event was to create an opportunity for community members, local service providers and caseworkers to meet up, enjoy a coffee and chat about the importance of child protection and our role within that.
National Child Protection Week is coordinated by NAPCAN starting on Father’s Day on the first Sunday of September. The aim of the week is to engage members of the community in supporting families and protecting children.
This year the focus was on introducing a ‘child development’ communication frame to promote the messages that: kids do well when parents are supported; and to raise thriving kids, parents need support to navigate life’s choppy waters.