Northern Rivers parent support service.
Bundjalung country.
Providing practical and emotional support to parents, normalising and destigmatising asking for (and accepting) help, and, as a consequence, having more children growing up in calm, happy, environments at home.
who is it for?
anyone who is a parent, which includes the carers of a child who are:
biological parents;
step parents;
foster carers;
adoptive parents;
kinship carers;
individuals who have taken up primary or shared responsibility in raising that child.
mission:
Nurture the Parents exists as a support service for parents to access practical and emotional assistance, in accordance with their family's needs. The goal is for parents to have a healthy sense of balance and self care. This will assist parents to be more present with their children, and help their children to grow up into safe, happy and healthy adults.
philosophy:
The philosophy behind Nurture the Parents is that parents should feel heard, seen, supported and empowered while they do the big, important, job of having and raising children. Parents should have access to relevant information and support, recognising that every family is unique, with different backgrounds, strengths and needs.
parent support worker
Sarah Lovett
Sarah grew up in the Northern Rivers and is overjoyed to be back here with her family, since spending the last 10+ years living and working in Queensland.
Sarah is currently studying to become and Birth and Postpartum Doula with the Australian Doula College. She is a qualified Social Worker and has worked a number of different roles since graduating in 2018 from the University of Queensland.
Prior to that, Sarah worked as a Disability Support Worker, primarily with children and families.
Sarah has been told by others that she is calm, kind, reflective, non-judgemental and empathetic.
She works with a focus on relationships and strengths, as opposed to deficits. Sarah has an understanding of trauma, mental health conditions, domestic violence, child development, attachment theory and the social model of disability.
Sarah believes that people are the experts in their own lives, and looks forward to a career of continuous professional development, personal growth and learning.
services:
- Free meet and greet with no obligations.
- Practical support with routines.
- Grocery shopping.
- Cooking nourishing meals.
- Light cleaning.
- Looking after the children while you sleep or have 'me time'.
- Offer relaxing hand, foot, shoulder, or head massages.
- Chat about parenting or be a shoulder to cry on.
- Provide information or recommend services.
"Being a parent is intrinsically challenging and stressful, so building in some self care time is an ongoing way of settling the stress and anxiety that is there for all parents”. – Blue Knot Foundation
pricing:
Nurture the Parents offers the below packages, which are designed to reduce the mental load of parents by taking away some of the decision-making regarding arranging the service. However, if none of the packages below suit your needs or budget, please get in contact with me for a chat about other options.
The Half Day Package
This package is $250
- Once-off home visit package.
- 1 x 4 hr home visit.
- This can be helpful when things have 'piled up' and you need someone to help with the children while either myself, or you, focus on getting things done.
- You might use the time to run errands or attend appointments.
- You could use this package to 'try out' the Nurture the Parents service, while deciding on whether you would like to continue with support on a more regular basis.
The Weekly Package
This package is $750
- Multiple home visits package.
- 4 x 3 hr home visits (one visit per week for four weeks).
- Same day and time each week, as negotiated between us.
- This can be helpful for staying on top of things, or for practical support with routines.
- You could also use the package to schedule in some self care time while I take care of other things for you.
- This 'Weekly' package can be extended if you wish to continue with Nurture the Parents support on an ongoing basis.
The Back-to-Back Package
This package is $1000
- Multiple home visits package.
- 4 x 4 hr home visits, for four consecutive days, from Monday-Thursday (one visit per day for four days).
- Same time of day each day, as negotiated between us.
- This can be helpful if you have a particularly busy week coming up, or if your support people will be away or unavailable.
- You could try the 'Half Day' package initially, while deciding on whether you would like to opt for this 'Back-to-Back' package.
gifting options:
Nurture the Parents packages make a great gift too, whether it be for a birthday, Christmas, Mother's Day, Father's Day, a baby shower, or just because! If you are thinking of gifting someone the thoughtful gift of support, please send me an email with the support you had in mind for your loved one. From there, I will send you a voucher for you to physically give your loved one and they can get in touch with me to arrange service.
"What it’s like to be a parent: It’s one of the hardest things you’ll ever do, but in exchange, it teaches you the meaning of unconditional love.” - Nicholas Sparks