Place Headline hereEmbedding Food Security into Case Management WorkLauren Karklins – Case Manager

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“works with families with young children, to develop skills to build positive family

relationships, strengthen parenting skills, increase confidence, and improve connections

with schools and local communities. Building on each family’s own strengths, the Family Support Program focuses on the individual needs of each

child, of the child within their family, and the family within their community.”

The Brisbane North Family Support Program

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…having regular, affordable and sustainable access to safe, nutritionally adequate, culturally acceptable food from non-emergency sources.

Food Security Definition:

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• Referral • Intake process• Case Planning• Case Management and reviews• Brokerage and emergency relief

How do we embed food security into everyday practice?

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• Red Cross Food Security Policy• Red Cross Ways of Working

How did this come about?

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• FOODcents training for Red Cross staff• Formal and informal discussion with peers • Supervision with Team Leader• Attendance to networking meetings• Researching services in local areas• Access to additional training opportunities

How do we build the skills of Case Managers?

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• Information on nutrition

How do we work with clients to build skills?

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• Introducing healthy meal ideas and how to make food preparation enjoyable as a family activity.

• Encouraging and supporting families to grow their own food.

• Engaging the family in home cooking sessions to demonstrate and role model healthy eating practices.

• Teaching clients, specifically those who are Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD), how to use white goods and kitchen implements.

• Purchasing resources for the family e.g. cook books, kitchen utensils.

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• Purchase and development of child friendly resources

• Exploring strategies to address fussy eating and food refusal.

• Developing meal plans and grocery lists to save money and reduce wastage.

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• Providing templates for simple budgeting; if needs are more complex, referrals to relevant financial and housing support services are made.

• Referral and information to community gardens, cooking classes and food banks.

• Providing healthy food options during community events, meetings etc.

• Running healthy lunch box workshops at local schools.

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• Client confidence budgeting, purchasing, storing and cooking food• Access to food banks, emergency relief and local community services • Increased knowledge of health and nutrition• Meal ideas for the family• Improved cooking skills • Improved family interaction through cooking together• Confidence managing fussy eating, in turn reducing food wastage

How does having these skills impact on families?

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• Meet the needs of clients in a holistic fashion.• Access to relevant training and resources increased Case Manager

confidence implementing strategies

How does the concept of Food Security change our work?

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• Running group programs with more regularity to offer support to the wider community

• Working with CALD clients

Are there areas of improvement that could be made?

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Have we noticed the outcomes?82% of families with a case plan fully or mostly achieved their case-plan goals.

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92% of exited clients demonstrated an increase in knowledge and skills where a service had been provided.

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86% of exited clients demonstrated an improvement in parenting where a service had been provided.

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Thank you for listeningQ&A – 10 minutes