BUSHkids Annual Report 2018-2019

Droughts

Supporting kids’ resilience through devastating drought and bushfire disasters

Abundant research reminds us that social and emotional wellbeing of children plays a significant part in their early development as well as their later academic performance and schooling. For kids across drought-affected Queensland, some never having seen rain — or only a few scarce drops — in their young lives, their wellbeing has been affected by stresses on their parents, pets, friends and farm life. Over the last two years in Stanthorpe, BUSHkids has been providing the suite of FRIENDS Resilience © programs as a universal offering to schools in the area. But the horrific bushfires which raged through the district and threatened the town demanded a stronger response. We swiftly accessed resources created by the Queensland Centre for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health and purchased a core selection from the library of books and fact sheets to help parents talk to their children in conversational reading about these natural disasters. Delightfully-illustrated characters ‘Birdie’ and ‘Mr Frog’ feature across five situations including earthquakes, floods cyclones, droughts and fires and are used to tell stories ‘about getting through hard times.’ The ‘Birdie and the Drought’ and ‘Birdie and the Fire’ books and their associated materials were acquired by BUSHkids for Stanthorpe families.

Bequiling front cover illustration of the 14-page storybook ‘Birdie and the Fire’.

BUSHkids also established a children’s play corner at the community recovery hub. This enabled parents to focus on engaging with other agencies and complete support processes while also providing a distraction for the kids from hearing the stories of loss linked to the fire. Books donated by BUSHkids were also distributed via the recovery hubs to families with children by the Department of Communities, Disability Services and Seniors . “Babies and young children can easily become distressed by what is happening in the world around them. Anything that creates stress for the family can make babies and young children feel unsafe and unsettled.” ~ Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service Our Stanthorpe Early Intervention Facilitator Adela Caruso has noted in her work with children that there is now anxiety if any smoke is present and that children talk a lot about the fire experience and the drought: especially the visual images of the fires they experienced. Many children worry about the future and what will happen with the drought and no water. Many children are involved in working on family properties to help feed and water stock before and after school. Children have also been hesitant about drinking too much water due to the restrictions and children appear dehydrated at times. Shared book reading and open conversations are helping families build resilience during this difficult period.

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All cover images © Queensland Centre for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health.

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