Jess

Reconnecting after family separation – Jess's story

When Jess’s oldest 3 kids were taken into child protection as their father could not care for them safely, they asked the Child Safety Officer to contact their mum and younger sibling they’d never met. Jess was scared to deal with Child Safety as she didn’t understand the system or her legal rights.

The Child Safety Officer referred Jess to Family Wellbeing Services so she could get culturally appropriate support. This has helped Jess build her self-confidence and understand the processes involving Child Safety, court conferences and hearings.

The Family Wellbeing Service has coordinated support for the family with Child Safety and the Queensland Indigenous Family Violence Legal Service. They have worked with Jess and her kids to rebuild their relationships via phone calls, video chat and meeting up during school holidays.

Jess can now voice her wants and needs including asking for support to deal with her son’s behaviour towards his sisters which led to a safety plan with ways to manage different issues.

Jess says she feels listened to and not judged when sharing her story with the Family Wellbeing Services worker.