Keeping connected

Keeping healthy relationships between parents and children is very important. No matter what happens, you are always your child’s parent. If you are able to, and your child wants to, it is important to stay connected. It is the caseworker’s role to support your child to maintain a relationship with you.

The ways you stay in touch with your child will depend on your child’s needs and wants, and what is safe.

How often and long your child’s family visits are and the ways you can keep in touch with your child are included in your child’s care plan.

Different ways to stay connected

The ways your child will stay connected to you are written down in their care plan.

Some ways you may be able to stay in touch with your child:

• Visit them
• Video call them
• Talk on the phone or send a text
• Chat on social media such as Facebook Messenger
• Prepare gifts for your child
• Write letters or emails

Share information with their carer

Keeping your child connected to family, community and culture

It is important your child stays connected to their family, community and culture. You can help by sharing information about your culture with your child, their carer and the caseworker. Tell the caseworker who else in the family you would like your child to see and spend time with. Talk to the caseworker about keeping these unique family bonds strong and about your ideas for how to do this. Time with siblings, grandparents or other family can be separate to the time you spend with your child.

The caseworker will work with you and your family to develop a cultural support plan. A cultural support plan will include information you think is important for your child to know to support their cultural identity. A cultural plan advocates for your child to participate in culturally meaningful activities. Its purpose is to help your child feel connected and give them a sense of belonging to their family, community and culture. Their cultural plan should match their individual needs so they can grow with a strong sense of cultural identity.

If your child is Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, they have the right to stay connected or build connections to their community and land. The caseworker should consult with Aboriginal staff and community members as well as you, your family and your child’s carer to make this happen.