Moves taken by Sweden to replace books with computers has had a negative effect on learning experiences of children and young people. So 15 years later they are reversing this trend and have allocated millions of dollars to do so.
GPV/KCV welcome comments about this move.
Cheers
Anne McLeish, OAM
Director
The Board includes kinship carers and grandparents who are not raising children 24/7. This ensures that decisions made and priorities set are considered from the point of view of the needs of all children, bearing in mind that kinship carers have views about child welfare far beyond those shaped by their role as carers.
The 24th GPV/KCV Board membership
Two new members have joined the Board (*below). Its members are:
The terms of service of Board members vary, with some being founding members whilst others joined it recently. The following chart indicates the terms of service of current Board members.
The 24th Board in profile
The Board’s shared expertise in raising and supporting families is considerable and influences decisions made about the work of GPV/KCV. Consider the shared contribution of Board members to family matters, they:
The 24th Board’s aspirations for children
Board members shared their aspirations for children, stating that all children in Australia must have access to a high-quality education, grow up with a sense of belonging to family and community, are raised in a safe environment without undue influence of social media, have their health protected, be given opportunities for long term positive pathways in life and to be recognised as individuals whose rights and aspirations need to be fulfilled.
By Zena Chamas Wed 13 Nov abc.net.au/news/one-in-three-grandparents-are-regularly-babysitting-in-aus
Australian grandparents babysit their grandkids to fill in gaps in childcare more than other countries, study found.
As loneliness comes into the spotlight it is important that we all do whatever we can to redress it, not only for our own sakes but also for those close to us and in our community. KCV endorses this paper issued by Relationships Australia and urges you to read and share it about.
Cheers
Anne McLeish
It is a feature in the GPV/KCV campaign to ensure that physical punishment of children is made illegal across Australia.
The video is a reminder that positive discipline can work and should be viewed in conjunction with reading written materials on positive discipline.
Non-physical types of discipline for children and young people (booklet)
Reasons not to hit children (article)
Physical punishment in Australia (video)
GPV/KCV commends signing the petition to have physical punishment made illegal across Australia.
https://www.change.org/p/end-physical-punishment-of-children-protect-australian-children
Grandmothers and grandmothers in Canada, Australia, the UK and US have rallied in response to the crisis faced by grandmothers in Africa as they struggle to raise millions of children orphaned by AIDS. Local groups are raising funds in their communities to support the life-enhancing programs run by grandmothers in Africa and the community-led organisations who support them.
GPV is pleased to support this movement, which aims to amplify the voices and expertise of grandmothers, showing the world that leadership by older women is critical in reclaiming hope and rebuilding resilience across communities.
The Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign seeks for all grandmothers:
• Access to equitable and free health care
• Protection against discrimination and violence
• Protection and enforcement of land rights
• Improved quality of life and standard of living
• Quality education for our grandchildren
• Inclusion in decision-making bodies and policy discussions as representatives of older persons, women, people living with HIV, and caregivers.
The campaign was launched in 2006 as an initiative of the Stephen Lewis Foundation and has raised more than $40 million in support of it.
There are three local Grandmothers to Grandmothers groups in Australia. They are based in:
• Emerald, Victoria
• Barrington, NSW
• Mt Claremont in WA
Like many other organisations, GPV/KCV has in the past urged the Victorian Government to raise they age of criminal responsibility to 14 years of age. In doing so we are mindful of the reasons why it is inappropriate to assume that the child brain is responsible in the same way as an adult brain. We have never argued that children who commit crimes should not face consequences. Rather, we argue that the consequences need to be appropriate to their young age and designed to divert them away from future offending. Further, we are embarrassed by the fact that we now lag way behind so many other countries in the world who have lifted the age of criminal responsibility.
The Victorian Government has asked us to carry a heavy burden of collective shame and embarrassment on this matter.
On 17 July 24 the Board of GPV/KCV met with Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn and Minister for Transport Infrastructure Danny Pearson.
The discussion covered a broad range of topics related to the joys and pressures of raising children up until age 11. This age range fits with the Minister’s priority to do as much as she can towards early years support for families. Specific issues discussed included: respite for kinship carers, inclusion of grandparents as support to parents to prevent children being removed, an increased subsidy to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme for children on a health care card (this is a federal issue which he Minister has raised at a national level), and access to early childhood kindergarten.
Board members thanked the Ministers for the generous amount of time they spent talking through some very critical issues.
GPV commends the white paper Ending Loneliness Together in Australia
The paper, released November 2020, is the first white paper to highlight the growing problem of loneliness in Australia and is well worth reading.
The paper lists recommendations to drive a national approach to end loneliness, and describes the latest research and data on the prevalence of loneliness. It identifies communities that are especially vulnerable to loneliness, and outlines the policy, practice and process pathways that can be modified and adapted to combat loneliness effectively.
Dr Michelle Lim, Australia’s leading scientific expert on loneliness, says:
“The impact of loneliness in Australia is broad and deep; it cuts across all sectors of our society.”
