Families Supporting Families

03/11/2026

Join Summit Abilities for a celebration of International Day of People with Disability on Thursday 3rd December at their Open Day at Swansea Lakeside Holiday Park.

This is a ticketed event, with limited places available. Please RSVP to [email protected] by 19 November to secure your spot.

A day for inclusion, connection & community. 💙

Join us as we celebrate International Day of People with Disability at our Open Day at Swansea Lakeside Holiday Park.

A day filled with good company, fun activities and meaningful connections, bringing our community together to celebrate the things that make us unique.

Think live music, dancing, a free BBQ, a magic show, a petting zoo and plenty of opportunities to connect and enjoy the day together.

📍 Swansea Lakeside Holiday Park
🗓️ Thursday, 3 December 2026
⏰ 10am–2pm

Everyone is welcome, and we would love to see you there.

Please note that this is a ticketed event, with limited places available. RSVP to [email protected] by 19 November 2026 to secure your spot.

Let’s celebrate a community where everyone belongs.

01/11/2026

We want to know what Autistic young people in Australia think is important.

We want to know what they think people should learn more about to make life better for Autistic young people.

What they say will help researchers learn what to study in the future. All answers will be private and will not be shared.

What young people tell us will also help the Australian Autism Knowledge Hub decide what work to do next.

Young people are eligible to participate if they:
- Live in Australia
- Identify as Autistic
- Are aged 8 to 17 years

Taking part means filling out a brief survey for parents and an 8-question survey for young people which will take about 20 minutes. All answers will be private and will not be shared

Please consider helping researchers work out where they need to focus their work. The answers we receive will directly shape the work of the Australian Autism Knowledge Hub.

Link: https://accessiblesurveys.com/v2/kgTRh87U6hLrWyEerh8i



[image description: A promotional graphic for “Our Lives, Our Future”. The design features the La Trobe University and Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre logos, with text reading: “What young people tell us will help shape future autism research in Australia.” An illustration shows four hands holding smartphones displaying messages, a video call and an email. A link reads bit.ly/AutismHubYouth. The graphic also includes ethical approval and researcher contact information at the bottom.]

31/10/2026

The Think Sensory Summit is a FREE four-day online event happening November 16–19, 2026, for therapists, educators, and parents supporting neurodivergent kids.

Watch free during the event, or upgrade to the All-Access Pass to keep every session and watch anytime

Register for free at https://thinksensory.com/summit-registration-season-2/

The Think Sensory Summit, Season 2: 21 expert sessions for therapists, educators, and parents. Free to attend, November 16 to 19, 2026.

30/10/2026

🚨 A 50% funding cut could mean losing access to support altogether.

Imagine you receive two hours of community participation support each week.

Your funding is halved.

But what happens if you can't find a support worker available for a one-hour shift?

For some participants, smaller budgets could make regular support impossible to access.

Every Australian Counts has raised this concern and advocated for minimum funding levels that allow people to access meaningful, regular support.

Funding needs to work in the real world, not just on paper.

A 50% reduction shouldn't mean losing 100% of your support.

📣 Help us document what's happening. Share your story:
https://forms.gle/HwzQQzcsWjV97SjEA

If an NDIS decision is affecting you, you don’t have to navigate it alone. Contact the Disability Gateway on 1800 643 787 for help finding an independent disability advocate. If you need immediate emotional support, Lifeline is available 24/7 on 13 11 14.

[Image description: Every Australian Counts graphic with a white speech bubble over a red shattered-glass background. Text reads: “A 50% cut shouldn’t mean losing 100% of your support.” A stamp reads: “Document the Damage.”]

27/10/2026

What a beautiful morning of creativity and connection we had at our Watercolour Mindfulness Workshop at The Kotoda on Sunday! 👩‍🎨🎨🖌️

A big thank you to Sally and Tab for sharing your expertise and experience with us, and looking after us so well and to everyone who joined us and contributed to a lovely morning. 🙏

This event was proudly co-funded by a Carers Week Grant from the NSW Department of Communities and Justice and by Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group. We are very grateful - this opportunity for connection wouldn’t be possible without your support. 🙏

Image description: photo collage including images of women seated at tables painting - individually or in groups, and also displaying completed pieces. One photograph highlights a collection of colourful artworks arranged on a table. A refreshment table with a grazing platter and drinks is also included. The collage has a blue watercolour background and scrapbook-style photo frames

26/10/2026

Support the campaign for a NSW Carer Card so that carers are counted in where it matters most.

To make carer recognition simple across NSW, you can take action right now. Email your local MP and ask them to back a NSW Carer Card ahead of the March 2027 election.

We’re calling on the NSW Government to introduce a NSW Carer Card: a simple, consistent way for carers to identify their caring role when interacting with hospitals, schools and government services, helping reduce the need to repeatedly explain their circumstances or provide sensitive documents.

We’re also advocating for public transport concessions and discounts through participating businesses to help ease the everyday costs of caring.

The card is a proposal. Eligibility, benefits and timing will depend on the outcome of our campaign and decisions by the NSW Government.

How you can help:
1. Email your local MP (our tool makes it easy)
2. Share how a NSW carer card would benefit you as a carer, tagging
3. Share this post

Learn more and support our proposal for a NSW Carer Card: https://www.carersnsw.org.au/carers-count-in-nsw

23/10/2026

23/10/2026

Photos from our Carer’s Dinner at Noah's on the Beach Newcastle. It was a lovely evening. A big THANK YOU to Jennifer Mills Photography for capturing the occasion beautifully! 🙏

Guests please watch out in your inbox for a link from Jennifer Mills Photography to download your images.

We are very grateful for the support for this event through co-funding from NSW Department of Communities and Justice, and Port Waratah Coal Services. 👏👏👏

We appreciate the help of Leigh and the team at Noah’s with organising this event and ensuring everything ran smoothly on the night.

Finally, a shout out once again to all our generous prize donors, our wonderful musician Sandy Louise, all who attended and everyone who helped out with this event! 🙏

23/10/2026

Cooks Hill Surf Club’s inclusive nippers program, Same Waves, is getting organised for the summer. Given their current volunteer numbers available to support participants, they are now able to extend registrations to another 10 Same Wave nippers. Registration is essential using the email address contained in the flyer. These spots will fill very quickly so please register ASAP!

ALL THE AVAILABLE SPOTS HAVE NOW BEEN ALLOCATED. BRING ON SAME WAVES 2026 / 27..

Our inclusive nippers program Same Waves is gearing up for the season. Thank you to all of our support people both our active club members and those from the wider community who are about to become members of Cooks Hill 🔴⚪️🔵. Same Waves cannot function without the commitment and dedication of those who support our nippers in having fun on a Sunday morning. Same Waves aligns on the beach with our wider nipper program on a Sunday morning to promote inclusion. Given our support numbers we are able to extend registrations to another 10 Same Wave nippers. Registration is essential using the email address contained in the flyer. These spots will fill rapidly so please register as soon as you are able. Fun Fun Fun, everyone can be a nipper at Cooks Hill 🔴⚪️🔵.