Volunteer Family Connect

Volunteer Family Connect (VFC) is a home visiting program for parents of young children delivered by trained volunteers. VFC works by linking a trained volunteer with a parent who is needing extra support in their parenting role, ensuring that every child has a good beginning. Volunteers can help parents adjust to a new baby, cope with multiple children, overcome feelings of isolation and frustration, or help with other factors that can overwhelm mums, dads and carers. Volunteers are skilled, trained, caring, experienced, respectful and confidential. They help by being good listeners and are non-judgemental and friendly to you and your family.

We are here for families who:

Have young children aged birth - 5 years
Feel in need of more support in their parenting role
At times feel isolated or overwhelmed
Have limited or no local networks to support them
Need more support connecting to services in their local community
Would like a volunteer home visitor.

Benefits for families

Encourage parent and child relationships
Reduce isolation, stress and anxiety
Connect to a network of parent and community supports
Have access to information and support
New ideas for playing with your child
Increase resilience and parental capacity

This service is available for families in Macarthur, Wollondilly and Taree. VFC in Taree is exclusively for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.

For more information or to apply to be a volunteer

Taree please contact Sue Martin I sue.martin1@health.nsw.gov.au l 0438 576 385. See VFC Taree brochure here.
Macarthur and Wollondilly please contact Angela Styman I angela.styman@health.nsw.gov.au l 0447 961 445. See Macarthur and Wollondilly brochure here.

As part of Reconciliation Week 2021 Karitane CEO Grainne O’Loughlin talks to Taree 2RE about the VFC service in Taree supporting the Indigenous community, listen here.

See here for a summary of research findings and here for return on investment.

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Covering both the South Western and South Eastern suburbs of Sydney, Karitane provides a comprehensive range of clinically based parenting group programs designed to support parents in their parenting role.

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Established in 1923, Karitane is a respected and trusted service leader in parenting services across NSW. Karitane delivers high quality, comprehensive, evidence-based parenting services for families and the provision of education and training to healthcare professionals and non-government organisation. Education and research underpins the delivery of our clinical care. We lead and disseminate the latest evidence-based research ensuring we provide the best advice to parents and educate health professionals, staff, students and academia.

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Make a Referral

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