Life Without Barriers

📚 That's a wrap on our fourth year of helping children and young people #HookIntoBooks! 👇 📗 Children and young people embraced the Reading Adventure Challenge and earned book prizes! 📕 Readers celebrated Indigenous Literacy Day and were 'caught' reading in all sorts of places. 📙 2000 books were generously donated by our partners and an additional 2000 were purchased through discounted partnerships. 📘1500 book backpacks found new homes with children and young people, bringing books into their everyday lives. Thank you to all the participants, authors, supporters, and partners for joining us in sharing the joy of reading this year! https://ow.ly/Yu9i50TVVT3 ID: 1. Three young people sitting together reading picture books. 2. Megan and Angela with Dan Marais, President of Children’s Rights Queensland, at the launch of Children’s Week. 3. Two young people with backpacks on, facing away from the camera. 4. A child sitting on a chair, reading a picture book. 5. A dog with coat draped over it, sitting down with a person holding a book in front of them. 6. A group of staff and volunteers at the Book Backpack Packing Day, smiling at the camera. 7. Two young people reading a picture book. 8. A Book Box sitting open on a table, filled with books and conversation cards. 9. A participant and a staff member reading a book together. 10. A child holds a picture book over their face. 11. Judy and Lyn from the Children's Book Council with Megan Hall, standing behind a table with books and backpacks. 12. A small brown dog sitting on a bed with a picture book open in front of them. 13. The VIC CYF team sitting at a table, holding books over their faces. 14. A young person in a costume reading a book. 15. Townsville CYF team holding up books over their faces. 16. An individual holds a picture book over their face. #LearningWithoutBarriers #Education #RaisingReaders #Books Two Good Co Children's Book Council Of Australia University of Queensland Press (UQP) Walker Books EK Books Magabala Books Dymocks Children's Charities Children's Rights Queensland Charter Hall The Pyjama Foundation

"It is very busy, but I like the pantry." Sam builds his employment skills and trials different jobs with the support of his Employment Pathways coach, Rebecca. https://ow.ly/mYFp50SmWSB ID: 1. Sam wears a black T-shirt with the Soul Hub logo on it, smiling at the camera. 2. Sam stands in a group with three people, smiling at the camera. The woman in the middle holds up a sign which says: 2 Days until Sleepout. $137,082 raised of our $200,000 goal. 3. Sam, wearing a black Soul Hub T-shirt, stands with two women, smiling at the camera. #SchoolLeavers #DisabilityEmployment #DisabilitySupport #DisabilityEmploymentAustralia #DisabilityEmploymentSupport

"The AACPA National Conference was a great opportunity to network with Aged Care professionals as we navigate the changes that are occurring across the sector." Sue Jones, Director of Practice Assurance, Aged Care. Our Aged Care Senior Leadership Team recently attended the Aged and Community Care Providers Association National Conference in Adelaide, exploring trends, opportunities, and challenges in the Aged Care sector. Armed with new insights, our team is excited to apply what they’ve learned to keep enhancing the quality of our home care services. https://ow.ly/Zbku50TU7wh ID: Brendan Smith, Sue Jones, and Sarah Cromie with Tom Symondson, CEO of ACCPA. #AgedCare #HomeCare #AgedCareProvider #ACCPANC24 #AgeofExcellence Aged & Community Care Providers Association

Looking for an event where you can connect with Life Without Barriers and learn more about our services? This November, join us at events like the AbSec Aboriginal Child and Family Conference in Sydney or the Semaphore Street Fair in South Australia! Can’t make it in person? Join one of our free online webinars to learn more about our services. Get all the details here: https://ow.ly/ii4e50TRi7q ID: Five staff members at a Bunnings sausage sizzle. #LifeWithoutBarriers #FosterCare #DisabilityServices #Webinars #CommunityConnection

"I think the most exciting thing about working at Life Without Barriers is seeing the changes in people's lives every day, whether that staff that we work with or people we support." Kellie King, Senior Executive Officer, sat down with us to answer some questions about her career and share how Life Without Barriers creates an inclusive workplace. 💼Learn more about why Life Without Barriers is a great place to work and view our current vacancies here: https://ow.ly/HNtn50Trpn4 Video: Kellie sits outdoors, wearing a black dress and pink glasses, talking to the camera and answering questions that appear on the screen. Text: What attracted you to the organisation? Have you changed roles or teams during your time here? How does Life Without Barriers create an inclusive workplace? What excites you the most about working at Life Without Barriers? This video has captions and sound. #FulfillingCareer #DiversityandInclusion #InclusiveCulture #DisabilitySupport #FosterCare #SupportingYoungPeople

"At Life Without Barriers, we work with individuals like Malcolm, not for or to them." Susanta Bidari, Behaviour Support Practitioner. Malcolm’s journey with Behaviour Support demonstrates how collaboration, cultural sensitivity, and listening to someone’s personal history can significantly enhance their quality of life. https://ow.ly/8QaB50Trpco ID: A man with short, dark hair, wearing a light blue shirt, smiles at the camera. #BehaviourSupport #DisabilityServices #Collaboration #LivedExperience

📢Changing laws that prevent freedom of expression. This month in Melbourne, key leaders from Life Without Barriers and Yooralla joined with independent advocate Uli Cartwright to explore a specific piece of Victorian law that impacts people under guardianship. Guardianship can occur when a person is not able to make decisions for themselves in a safe way. When a person is under guardianship, there is a specific law in Victoria, and in some other states, that stops that person from being able to share information about their experiences under guardianship. We call it a ‘gag’ law because, ultimately, it prevents people from freely telling their story of experience. Uli Cartwright has been advocating for change on this law and he led the meeting in Melbourne with Life Without Barriers, Yooralla and the Victorian Law Reform Commission, whose inaugural ‘Spotlight project’ is looking at this legislation and providing some analysis about its impact. Chief Advisor – Public Affairs and Advocacy Tabatha Feher said the collaboration together is important because advocating for legislative change can be a complicated process. "We need lots of ideas and knowledge at the table. Uli’s personal experience is crucial and he is the advocate that brought this important issue to our attention." "We don’t believe that a person should be prevented from sharing their experiences and telling their story. This law was designed as a protection, but it is outdated and not built on maximising a person's capacity and independence, even if guardianship is in place." https://ow.ly/7k0p50TV0KA "We have taken a decisive position on this because denying a person the opportunity to tell any part of their story or experience under guardianship prevents us all from being able to create transparency in guardianship. Its possible that abuses can occur and be unchecked if people are gagged from sharing their experiences." During the meeting the Victorian Law Reform Commission spoke about their first Spotlight project which is specifically focussing on this part of the Guardianship laws in Victoria. The Commission will be releasing a report on their work sometime before the end of the year. ID: Staff from Life Without Barriers, Yooralla and the Victorian Law Reform Commission Uli Cartwright. #LawReform #Advocacy #Guardianship #Victoria #LifeWithoutBarriers

“It was a wonderful night seeing key Aunties and Uncles who have been with the Elders from the beginning, and those who have joined across the last 10 years be recognised and celebrated for all their work in supporting community.” Renee Sawyers (Argent), Operations Manager, Child, Youth, and Family, QLD. Our team had a ball at the Brisbane Northside Elders Gala Dinner, celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Elders formation. It was a night filled with connection and reflection as we honoured the wisdom, leadership, and contributions of the Elders in the community. ID: 1. Life Without Barriers staff gathered as a group, smiling at the camera. 2. Performers wearing white body paint gathered in a group, smiling at the camera. 3. Life Without Barriers staff standing in a line, smiling at the camera. 4. Two performers dancing at the gala. #NorthSideElders #Kurbingui #FirstNations #Community #AboriginalElders Kurbingui Youth and Family Development

👏This is brilliant news. The Australian Government is expanding the Connected Beginnings program with SNAICC and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation. Connected Beginnings links Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies and kids aged zero to five with vital early childhood education, health, and family support services. This expansion is so important because it means increasing access to crucial early support services. We need more of this type of expansion across the country! https://lnkd.in/g5irJaFK ID: A man wearing a blue shirt holds a young child in his arms. #Education #ConnectedBeginnings #AboriginalAndTorresStraitIslanderChildren #ClosingTheGap #NSW SNAICC - National Voice for our Children Ged Kearney Dr. Anne Aly

"It's incredibly important for the children to understand their story and make sense of their world." Meet Narelle, a dedicated foster carer in South Australia with 13 years of experience in therapeutic care. Here, Narelle reflects on her fostering journey, sharing what it is like to be a therapeutic carer, her experience with Mockingbird Family, and her advice for anyone preparing to become foster parents. Learn more about Narelle's fostering journey here: https://ow.ly/8NIj50Trp9b Video: Narelle sits on a couch, talking to the camera about foster care, responding to prompts that appear as text on the screen. This video has captions and sound. #FosterCareAustralia #FosterFamily #FosterMum #TherapeuticCare #MockingbirdFamily