Mentees make us proud in joyful celebration
“I have always hoped and prayed my son would connect to his Culture through dance.” Five of the young people from our Stand As One mentoring program recently took part in a […]
Our stories
Keeping a family connected, any way we can
This month our teams have been connecting with families and seeing how they’re doing and what their needs might be while also letting them know that their Family Connection Packs are on the way.
Heather*, mum to Pip* (7), Alf* (4) and Mac* (3) shared with one of our team the challenges of her husband being incarcerated. She told them how the past eight months have been such a challenge with not being able to see Ben* and that the kids are beginning to lose interest in talking to him on the phone.
Ben is in custody six hours away from where they live and when visits resumed, Heather was unable to take the kids with her as the complex was not allowing children under five who are unable to be vaccinated to enter. This was upsetting and stressful for her as she had a 12 hour round trip ahead and had to find care for her kids.
“I can’t even tell the kids where I am going because they will get so upset that I am not taking them. My elderly mother does not know that Ben is in custody, I haven’t told her or the rest of the family because it is too much stress for them. We have distanced ourselves from family so we don’t have to tell them”.
Luckily, she found child care and was able to make the long trip to see Ben.
After speaking with Heather about the Family Connection Packs, she said “What a terrific plan, I think it’s great. I’m going to tell the kids that dad sent it for them to be able to do and we will send it back to him”.
Since then when our team have touched base with Heather, she told them, “The kids were over the moon so see these packs arrive in the mail, straight away they got them out and knew they were something special from dad.
“Even my three year old sat still because he has just become interested in drawing since being at day care. It made me so happy, it was something so small but huge in their eyes”.
Heather asked to pass on a message to the SHINE for Kids team: “Thank you for what SHINE for Kids is doing. I never would have known there was such a service until our lives had been turned upside down and I am grateful, I know Ben is too.”
Other stories
Child & Parent Day “Like a dream come true” for very excited kids
A group of VERY excited children of all ages hugged their dads, some for the first time in years, at our Macquarie Correctional Centre Child & Parent Day. These special days are […]
Dads in custody create magical Christmas presents for their kids
The dads who take part in our Storytime program at Clarence Correctional Centre surprised themselves with how much they loved making these colourful placemats for their children in our Christmas craft workshop! […]
“I choose to be the best mum I can be”: What Becky* gained from parenting program, in her words
Mum Becky* has completed our Keeping Us Together program at Dillwynia Correctional Centre. Here she reflects on what she’s gained from the program and the future she wants to build for her […]
Central Coast kids mentoring success in 2022
In 2022, our SHINE for Kids school Mentoring Program was launched on the Central Coast to support local kids facing the hardship of having a parent in custody. Our team has been […]
“This helped me feel closer to them”: Mums in custody create hand made gifts
The mums at Clarence Correctional Centre were thrilled to hear that our Storytime program this month would include a special Christmas craft workshop! The workshop gave mums the opportunity to create handmade […]
Wellness Day helps kids learn techniques to stay healthy & happy
A group of very calm SHINE kids in Victoria have taken part in our first Wellness Day, learning techniques to help them manage stress and anxiety. Everyone sometimes feels overwhelmed, especially children, […]
Seven year old Len* loves visiting his dad, with a little support from SHINE
Every weekend, Ben*, 12, Sharee*, 10* and Len*, 7, travel with their mum to Bathurst from Sydney to visit dad in custody at Bathurst Correctional Centre. The family have a strong connection […]
Precious time being ‘just a mum’ at Child & Parent Day
Diana*, a mum in custody at Dillwynia Correctional Centre in Sydney, wants nothing more than to do everyday mum things again with her two children. At our recent Child & Parent Day, […]
Storytime dads overcome challenges to create books for their children
The first group of dads in custody at Acacia Prison in Perth, WA has graduated from Storytime! SHINE for Kids’ Zoe said that the WA team met “some fabulous dads who love […]
Life is looking up for this mum in custody after visit with kids
We recently supported one of our mums in custody at Clarence during her first visit in 13 months with her son and daughter. The occasion was even more special because it was […]
“Listening and Showing Up”: Mentors making a difference for young people in juvenile justice
To mark International Volunteer Day 2022, we spoke with Rachel, one of our wonderful volunteer mentors working with a young person in juvenile justice in Western Sydney. Rachel has been a volunteer […]
Robots, AI and Virtual Reality : Technology Day inspires kids
Our kids in Melbourne had an amazing experience thanks to the team at Deloitte Digital who volunteered their time to help us deliver our first Technology Day! A group of very excited […]
Mums and bubs celebrate Diwali at Playgroup!
At the Helana Jones Centre in Brisbane, our mums and bubs celebrated Diwali during playgroup with some Rangoli-inspired art! Diwali, also known as the ‘festival of light’, celebrates the triumph of light […]
“My son and I have a stronger bond”: Mums graduate KUT
By staff member Abbey Kenaly Over the past six weeks, seven mums have been participating in Keeping Us Together at Dillwynia Correctional Complex. The most rewarding part of facilitating Keeping Us Together is seeing the […]
A Tee-Ball captain and increased school attendance: Wins for our Frankston kids
Our mentoring team in Frankston, Victoria have reported some big wins for their kids this past year! While the team say all of the kids in Victoria have shown admirable growth, they […]
Special weekly visit to Baryulgil Public School: “When mum comes back we’re going camping”
Every week our Clarence Valley RISE team makes a special trip. They load up the car with activities and worksheets and drive about 75 km northwest of Grafton to visit Baryulgil, a […]
RISE Together Day – Western Sydney
Over the school holidays, SHINE for Kids teams across the country held special RISE Together Days for children in the program. The days were an opportunity for kids to meet others going […]
RISE Together Day – Kempsey
Over the school holidays, SHINE for Kids teams across the country held special RISE Together Days for children in the program. The days were an opportunity for kids to meet others going […]
RISE Together Day – Goulburn
Over the school holidays, SHINE for Kids teams across the country held special RISE Together Days for children in the program. The days were an opportunity for kids to meet others going […]
Young people in juvenile justice work with mentors at Cobham
In 2022, SHINE for Kids in partnership with CONFIT, launched our mentoring program for young people in juvenile justice at Cobham Correctional Centre in Sydney. While there have been challenges, we’re really […]
“I tell him RISE is coming to school today and he is happy to go”: Little boy thrives with RISE
Our RISE Clarence Coordinator has been connecting with incredibly resilient children and their families across the Clarence Valley. One of these students is Adam*, who is 9 years old. Adam was referred […]
Love at first sight for dad meeting newborn daughter
Our team in Queensland have been supporting this dad to connect with his newborn daughter. As he says, the support has completely changed his family’s life. Thank you to this father for […]
Missing milestones with dad is really hard, but we can help
Charlie* is in custody at Parklea and is dearly missing his 4-year-old daughter Amelia*. Before he was incarcerated, Amelia and Charlie would read together every night at bedtime. He approached SHINE for […]
“I’m going to see my mummy!”: Kids see mum for first time in two years
By our Windsor Child and Family Worker I’ve worked with a family with mum in custody at Dillwynia for over two years. When I first met the family, the children were six […]
And the winner is ….
During the week of the 15th-21st of May, we celebrated National Families Week with our children and families. One way of connecting with families was through a drawing competition and the winner would […]
A dad and daughter back together at last
Aaron*, a dad in custody at Parklea, recently approached us about our Storytime program. He has a four year old daughter Chloe* who he hadn’t seen face to face for over two […]
Two young men’s strong bond, in good times and bad
Mason* has spent most of his teenage years going between out-of-home care and custody. He’s no longer in contact with his family and finds it difficult to maintain positive relationships. Mason was […]
Proud day for family and their SHINE For Kids volunteer
One of our wonderful long time volunteers Dennis recently reached out to us to pass on some lovely news. He and his wife had just attended the graduation of a young woman […]
National Volunteer Week – Meet Debbie!
National Volunteer Week is Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteering. This year’s theme is ‘Better Together’, and appropriately so, as together we accomplish so much more. At this time of year, we […]
National Volunteer Week – Meet Dennis!
National Volunteer Week is Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteering. This year’s theme is ‘Better Together’, and appropriately so, as together we accomplish so much more. At this time of year, we […]
National Volunteer Week – Meet Stephanie!
National Volunteer Week is Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteering. This year’s theme is ‘Better Together’, and appropriately so, as together we accomplish so much more. At this time of year, we […]
National Volunteer Week – Meet Andrew!
National Volunteer Week is Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteering. This year’s theme is ‘Better Together’, and appropriately so, as together we accomplish so much more. At this time of year, we […]
National Volunteer Week – Meet Helen!
National Volunteer Week is Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteering. This year’s theme is ‘Better Together’, and appropriately so, as together we accomplish so much more. At this time of year, we […]
Easter brings hope to the men at Macquarie
Some special Easter deliveries were made to excited children over the long weekend this Easter! The men at Macquarie Correctional Centre recently participated in a special craft workshop as a way to […]
How my mentor helped me get through a hard time
To celebrate National Youth Week at SHINE, we are sharing the voice and experience of a young person we supported through our mentoring program Stand As One. This is his story. “When […]
Birthday Program makes missing mum or dad on a special day a bit easier
Our new Birthday Program is in full swing as our teams purchase specially requested gifts on behalf of a parent in custody, pack and deliver them to many happy children! So far, […]
Kids the winners as Rugby team play for SHINE
Recently one of our fabulous citizen fundraisers Ryan got together a group of Bathurst rugby playing friends and acquaintances for a fun day and a good cause to play in the Annual […]
A fresh start for mum Sierra
Sierra has two daughters, aged 12 and 9, and when she went into custody a few years ago it was the first time in their lives they’d been separated from her. It […]
New experiences and confidence building for SHINE’s Townsville kids
“Days like today are tiring but boy are they worth it. I travelled to the outing with a car full of silent children, the return trip was anything but silent.” – Priscilla, […]
A very special visit for mums at Broken Hill
“I made gifts for my four children for Christmas because I wouldn’t have gifts for them any other way.” – Mum from Broken Hill Correctional Centre Just before Christmas our crafting expert […]
Dad’s voice and a Christmas delivery make the holidays apart a little easier
By a SHINE team member I met Marty*, a dad in custody, one day at the Parklea complex while I was collecting referrals. He asked about our Storytime program and what was […]
Sam’s year of kicking goals
Sam, a young Aboriginal boy in the Stand As One mentoring program, was just 15 when he went into custody at Frank Baxter Youth Justice Centre. Sam was the youngest person at […]
Let’s give dad the biggest hug ever
This April in Victoria, after a year of restricted access due to COVID, the SHINE for Kids team arranged a very important Ride By Your Side visit for two brave little girls, […]
Christmas Magic with The Sixth Child
Wow. Our Victorian team have been blown away by the incredible donation of Christmas gifts from The Sixth Child and Creating the Magic! Last year, thanks to The Sixth Child, we gave […]
Storytime helped Timothy repair his relationship with his sons
Timothy had been in custody at Clarence Correctional Centre for eight months when he joined the Storytime program. It was his first time in custody and he was really struggling with missing […]
A very special new bedtime routine for three kids missing dad
The day before the ACT went into lockdown in August, SHINE staff had worked with a father to complete a Storytime recording for his youngest child. The father is working to improve […]
Playgroup helped Aaron get ready to learn at child care
Aaron is three years old and attends the SHINE for Kids playgroup every week with his mum Carly. They live together at Numinbah Correctional Centre while Carly is in custody. Carly approached […]
Our partnerships stopped Meg and Sam be evicted
Meg and her 4 year old son Sam live in Werrington in western Sydney. The family first started engaging with SHINE for Kids through the Parklea Child and Family Centre as Sam’s […]
I feel like a father again
Jason was transferred to Clarence Correctional Centre as soon as it opened in July 2020. Unfortunately his wife is also incarcerated and her parents have custody of their two young children and […]
Tracey and Millie are building a bright future together
Eight months ago, Tracey was referred to SHINE for Kids and began attending our weekly playgroups so that she and her two year old daughter Millie could reconnect. Millie had been in […]
Keeping connected to mum during the toughest of times
Mia, Declan and Timmy have been living with their grandmother since their dad was incarcerated four years ago. Their mum was also sent into custody two years after dad while she was […]
Tamara’s RISE sessions are the highlight of her week
Every week Tamara spends an hour at school one-on-one with her RISE mentor. They work through any issues Tamara is having with her schoolwork, maths in particular has been a focus, and […]
Henry was able to tell his daughter to believe in herself through Storytime
When Henry came to Storytime he was full of excitement and said he already knew the book he wanted to make for his daughter Alana. It had been forming in his head […]
Dad is still there: A big year for Robyn and her family
Robyn and her four children have been working with SHINE for several years but this year was a special one as they prepare for dad to return home in February 2022 after […]
Dominique’s positive relationship with her mentor continued to grow this year, despite COVID moving their sessions online
Nine year old Dominque moved in to live with her grandparents two years ago following her dad’s incarceration. While she was able to make friends at her new primary school, she appeared […]
James is determined not to make the same mistakes as his dad
James was set on making a fresh start at being a parent when he signed up for Keeping Us Together and Storytime at Parklea Correctional Centre. He had been in and out of […]
A year of community building and looking to the future
This year the Belonging to Family team at Kempsey have had a homecoming of sorts with the return of Karen Rhodes. Karen was one of the original creators of the Belonging to […]