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Health charity strikes partnership to boost foster families
Wishlist, a leading Sunshine Coast health charity, has announced its partnership with Integrated Family and Youth Service (IFYS) to enhance foster care opportunities in the Sunshine Coast community.
The innovative collaboration aims to address the growing need for foster carers by promoting the benefits of foster caring to health care workers to ensure better outcomes for children in need.
Wishlist CEO Lisa Rowe says the partnership between Wishlist and IFYS signifies a united effort to address the critical need for foster carers on the Sunshine Coast and Gympie.
According to the Queensland Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services, the number of children in case increased to 11,600 as of September 30, 2023 – a 1.5 per cent increase (173 children) compared to the same period the previous year. Less than half of children are placed with kin – around 48.5 per cent.
“By combining our expertise and resources, we hope this partnership will genuinely make a positive impact on the lives of children who are at-risk in our community,” Lisa explains.
IFYS Managing Director Tony Pignata says one of the key highlights of the partnership is the valuable skills and attributes that health staff possess, which are highly transferrable to the role of foster carers.
“Health professionals, with their innate abilities to stay calm, respond to individual needs, and understand the importance of flexibility, are well-equipped to provide nurturing environments for children in foster care,” Tony says.
“At IFYS we are thrilled to be partnering with Wishlist. The partnership between the two services will allow us to focus on better outcomes for our community and explore ways that we can work together in caring and giving back to the Sunshine Coast.”
Wishlist already funds several programs to support vulnerable young people including funding a two-year Youth Advisory Group program to better provide a circle-of-care for young adults and adolescents with mental health conditions, an innovative $31,000 Adolescent Day Program for disengaged youth, plus research into how to better support young people accessing healthcare on the Sunshine Coast and in Gympie.
“We are a proud facilitator of collaboration,” Lisa adds.
“Our community may not know this, but Wishlist supports several other for-purpose organisations by directing money to fund programs that without support would not exist locally. This includes the Clown Doctors service, Dads Group, Black Dog Institute, Get Real Institute, Delta Society and more – all for the benefit of local patients and families.”
Wishlist has also partnered with several local businesses like Sunshine Toyota, AUSMAR, Wealthmed, Sunquest Signs and Tecoda to change the future of health on the Sunshine Coast.
About Wishlist
• Wishlist raises funds to support the growing health needs of patients and families on the Sunshine Coast and Gympie.
• Each year, Wishlist directs more than $1 million to enhance local health services through the provision of vital medical equipment, patients support services, supported accommodation, research, education and more.
To find out more about Wishlist’s partners – or how to become one – visit wishlist.org.au
