Glenhaven Family Care

Glenhaven Family Care, run by the Christian Brethren, replaced Glenhaven Children’s Homes in about 1988. It is located in Ulverstone and Launceston. In 2018, Glenhaven provides emergency, respite, and long term accommodation for children and young people in north and north-west Tasmania. It also offers a support service to families.

According to its website, in 2013, Glenhaven Family Care is a ‘Christ centred organisation dedicated to keeping families together in a safe environment’. Its mission involves:

Supporting and equipping families within a caring environment, by providing innovative programs, partnership, and advocacy to break the cycle of disadvantage that affects vulnerable children, young people and their families.

The support services take four forms:

• Firstly, they include ‘Temcare’ which provides temporary accommodation for children and young people if their families are undergoing a crisis. They are placed in the homes of voluntary foster parents.
• Secondly, the Glenhaven Family Support Program provides longer term accommodation in the homes of volunteer foster parents. The aim is to provide stability until, if it is possible, the children are reunited with their families.
• Thirdly, Glenhaven Cottage accommodation is designed to keep siblings together and is offered on a long term basis.
• Finally, there is a support service that aims to improve resilience in families whose children are at risk.