FISH projects help inform our services, programs, and other initiatives. They are a great way to involve parents and family and ensure their lived experiences inform consultation, design, and review and that we use genuine co-design processes.
PROJECT REPORTS
In April 2024, a group of parents, family, community, practitioners, and organisations committed to family inclusion gathered in Newcastle for a Family Inclusion Roundtable. They talked about lived experiences and what had been learned through different research projects about family inclusion. These reports detail their discussion and recommendations based on the work of FISH and others.
In October 2022 we held our first-ever Listening Campaign. Parents and peer workers with lived experiences of child protection and out-of-home care talked to senior managers from government and funded service providers/NGOs and FISH committee and allies. Parents told stories while others listened. The experiences informed responses to big questions about important knowledge and skills for workers, carers and parents, plus necessary system improvements.
This 2019-20 pilot project demonstrated peer support and advocacy as a family inclusive innovation and an important part of making sure parents and family can participate in their children’s lives. The project contributed to growing evidence supporting the effectiveness of peer initiatives. It also made our FISH peer support and advocacy service possible – thank you!
This is where it all started after that initial gathering that created FISH. Interested parents and practitioners came together at a forum in 2014. A panel of parents and carers talked about their experiences and everyone started to work together on how to improve the experiences of children in care connecting with families.