National Families Week

CELEBRATING FAMILIES IN ALL THEIR DIVERSITY

Step families Australia welcomes National Families Week (10 -16 May 2009), Australia's annual celebration of families, as an important occasion to celebrate the many different types of families across society and acknowledge the many different people who make up these families.

"National Families Week is a critical opportunity to highlight family issues and to recognise the diversity ofcontemporary family life", says Steve Martin, EO of Stepfamilies Australia. Whilst 'mum, dad and two kids' isstill considered to be the norm, in suburban streetscapes family life has become increasingly complex. Today'sfamilies are rarely the tidy, homogenous nuclear models many of us knew when we were growing up, insteadthere are same-sex parents, single parents, grandparents, de-facto partners, carers, step-parents and stepgrandparents,step-siblings and half-siblings involved in the mix, as well different cultures, customs and religions.

Of the estimated 5 million families in Australia today, one in every 5 is a stepfamily. Considered to be the fastestgrowing family unit today their needs are changing as rapidly as the society surrounding them. As anorganisation offering information, education and resources at a community and grass-roots level, StepfamiliesAustralia is uniquely placed to understand the day-to-day challenges faced by stepfamilies, blended families,carers, grandparents and children.

Stepfamilies Australia expertise and support for families undergoing change and transition has recently beenrecognised by the Federal Government. A one-off funding of $100,000 from the Family Support Program willenable Stepfamilies Australia to undertake a specific 12 month project to help increase family relationshipspractitioners' knowledge and skills so that stepfamilies can achieve better outcomes.

"While the needs of biological families are well recognised in the community, services often fail to address theunique differences associated with stepfamilies and blended families", states Steve Martin. "This funding is a verywelcome acknowledgement by Minister Macklin's office that recognises the diverse voices of families and thework Stepfamilies Australia is doing to address specific issues".

The challenge remains, however, as rapidly changing family needs and forms are not yet at the centre of policythinking and ongoing resource allocation. National Families Week is an ideal opportunity for the community torecognise that we all have to work together to support families in all their diversity, and that all forms of familydeserve respect, understanding and recognition.

www.stepfamiliesaustralia.org.au