Family Support Program’s Kids in Focus – Family Drug Support (Kids in Focus) is an early intervention, family focused component of the National Drug Strategy specifically directed towards family support rather than the health, education or criminal aspects of the wider National Drug Strategy.
Kids in Focus has been funded by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs since 2005 under the previous name of NIDS Strengthening Families.
In April 2009, the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, the Hon Jenny Macklin announced a refocusing of Strengthening Families to support vulnerable families and their children. The refocusing is linked to two important initiatives of the Australian Government – the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children and the Family Support Program (FSP). The newly named Kids in Focus reflects the direct link to the Family Support Program.
Funding for the current providers has been extended to 30 April 2010 to deliver a range of Strengthening Families Projects.
The Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD) undertook consultations on behalf of the Department with existing service providers, the alcohol and drug, child protection and family support sectors. The Consultation Report was completed in August 2009. Outcomes and findings of the report informed the direction and refocus of the new Kids in Focus.
The new model focuses on providing integrated, long term and intensive support to families dealing with substance misuse. The model allows for tailored approaches at the local level that best reflect a community’s circumstances and needs to focus on supporting families with substance misuse problems by:
- providing intensive support services to families, including parents/carers and children dealing with substance using parents in the community
- providing support for parents to parent more effectively in the context of addressing their substance misuse
- provide advice, referral and/or brokerage services
- supporting children by normalising their lives (school, sport and other regular routines)
- providing targeted counselling and intervention through the child protection system where necessary
- support other Family Support Program services to identify and support children at risk
Requests for submissions from interested organisations to provide appropriate support services under the refocused Kids in Focus will be advertised on 31 October 2009. The Department will hold information sessions to assist organisations to prepare their applications under the new model in Melbourne (16 November), Sydney (17 November) and Adelaide (18 November). Further information on the information sessions is available on the FaHCSIA funding web page (www.fahcsia.gov.au/funding)
Contact Us
Kids in Focus – Family Drug Support
Family Support Program Operations Branch
Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
Box 7576
Canberra Business Centre ACT 2610
Phone: 1800 733 923