‘We support and strengthen families.’
The Family Services team at Zest Care has been making a difference in the lives of children, young people and families for over twenty years.
Along with their wealth of skills and experience, it’s the passion and dedication of the team that stands out as their biggest asset.
The team provides a range of supports including supervised contact, supervised transport, respite, mentoring, overnight respite and restoration. They also support children and young people in alternate care arrangements. But as Manager Mariam Carfi highlights, it’s their in-home support service that sets them apart.
‘Our biggest program and what we’re known for is our in-home family support, which is where we go into families’ homes to support them when they are experiencing a challenging time. That’s something we’ve been doing for over twenty years, and that is our legacy.’
Mariam (front left) heads up a team of five in the office and over 40 Family Support Workers in the community with each team member bringing something unique to the table.
Octavia (middle) is one of three Case Coordinators on the Family Services team. This team coordinate the day-to-day operations, ensuring that things are running smoothly with the numerous families and children who the team are supporting at any given time.
‘We are right there with the support workers to assist families on their journey,’ Octavia says. ‘This allows us to collaborate and strengthen partnerships with caseworkers or referring partners and achieve the best outcomes.’
Octavia speaks about a time that made her especially proud of the outcome she helped deliver for a young person. The boy was living in alternate care with support workers caring for him 24/7. Octavia was also regularly visiting the child to provide extra support and ensure that his needs were met.
The Family Services team also helped lead the transition out of alternate accommodation into a foster home. Waiting for him in the backyard of his new home was a puppy!
‘Just seeing him join the foster family was very fulfilling!’
As Business Manager Myriam Valle (front right) highlights, the professionalism of the Family Services team means they will always put the client first, no matter what type of care they are providing.
‘We provide a very specialised service,’ Myriam says. ‘A very client-focused service with high-quality outcomes that meet child safe standards.’
‘There are always challenges but we help people reach milestones,’ Octavia says. ‘We want children and families to reach stages in their life they weren’t sure were going to be possible.’
You can contact Zest Care’s Family Services team at [email protected] or on 1300 844 127.