Welcome to the stars, intrepid traveller.

https://www.kidsguardian.nsw.gov.au/child-safe-organisations/working-with-children-check/faq

The above hyperlink takes you to the Kids Guardian New South Wales Australia website page. That page has information and Frequently Asked Questions on applying for and renewing your Working With Children Check. Your Working with children check lasts for five years.

Volunteers can renew their Working with children check for free.

Paid employees have to pay eighty dollars to renew their Working with children check.

You can renew your Working with children check online. You can also retrieve your lost Working with children check NSW number by going to the above website or phoning the Working with children check Office of the Children’s Guardian on (02) 9286 7219.

You can go to your local RTA Roads And Traffic Authority(RMS Roads and Maritime Services - Service New South Wales) office to renew your Working With Children Check.

If you’re living in rural areas like me, your local Service NSW office is located in the town centre of bigger towns.

Batemans Bay Service NSW RTA office open Mondays to Fridays, 9am to 5pm.

Moruya Service NSW office open Mondays to Fridays 9am to 4pm.

Narooma Service NSW office open Wednesday and Thursday only, 9am to 4pm.

You can update your details (Name, home phone number, home address, work phone number and work address) by ringing (02) 9286 7219. If you’re ringing Australia from overseas, dial the exit code of the country you’re in, then Australia’s country code 61, then dial 2 9286 7219.🙂❤️

http://theconversation.com/as-a-high-court-challenge-looms-are-there-alternatives-to-australias-indefinite-detention-policy-14498 From "The Conversation" newspaper's website:

The UK was dealing with people against who there was compelling evidence of their terrorist involvement (often with al-Qaeda) and of direct danger to UK citizens. There is no indication that Australia’s refugees with suspected Tamil Tiger links pose an equivalent threat.

If control orders are not possible for some individuals (for example, if the intelligence is too sensitive) there are other means to apply any necessary restrictions. University of Sydney’s Professor of International Law Ben Saul has noted that:( Read more... )

detention.

Hi everyone,

Here's some information on charities below:

Below are the websites for organisations where you can volunteer or donate to support children around the world:

http://www.savethechildren.org.au/ Save the Children Australia. Save the Children also works in different countries around the world.  You can also donate here to support people whose lives have been devastated by Typhoon Bopha in the Philippines.

http://www.avert.org/aids-projects.htm    AVERT is a UK based charity that raises money to help people around the world to raise awareness and respond to HIV and AIDS. You can donate at their website. This link has information on how their projects help educate people about AIDS, their legal rights and addressing sexual violence.

http://child-aid.org/ Child Aid raises money to train teachers, deliver books and teach children how to read.

If you can't donate, you can always raise awareness - which makes a huge difference. Thanks so much! :)

Edited to add: I have found information from raremedium.org http://raremedium.org/2007/10/31/charity-navigators-vital-mission-hides-flawed-rankings/ that Charity Navigator has flaws in gathering / interpreting information and deciding which charities are accountable, transparent and spend the most money on the people they assist. I do apologise for putting up information on Charity Navigator before.

I'm sure nearly all of us want to strengthen and nurture our relationships. Humans are social to some extent. Nearly everyone wants to resolve arguments and understand people who are different from us. We've all been there. So I was really happy and excited to find great advice from this website.

This is not a magic pill. But I believe that it will drastically improve how you can problem solve relationship issues on work, relationships and parenting. The Keirnsey Temperament website looks at the different personality types (based on the Myers Briggs Personality Types). There are tests you can take to find out which one you belong to, what makes you tick. And best of all, how to understand and help others. Understanding each person is the key to showing care and respect, and working together as a team to solve challenges in work, school, or relationships. 

I was disturbed by how the site treats faults and abusive or neglectful behaviours of the types too lightly at times (understanding someone does not mean that you should let someone off when they're being vindictive, and obviously you shouldn't ignore someone being incompetent or cruel just because they're your boss). I am impressed by how it shows understanding and respect of the different personality types' strengths though.

Change your life and how you communicate with people here:

http://www.keirsey.com/personalityzone/wz14.asp (Click on the topics/articles on the right hand side of the web page). Topics of articles: Acing the Job Interviews. Dealing with work related stress. How to deal with people of different personality types acting out. Applying Jobs. When to leave a job. Finding the right career path for you. Taking new jobs in the city or country. How to avoid getting fired. Network to keep your job (how to network and socialise at work with different personality types).

http://www.keirsey.com/personalityzone/lz51.asp (Click on the topics/articles on the right hand side of the web page). Topics of articles: Personality types / temperaments and relationships. Dating. Marriage/long term relationships. Fair fighting. How to argue / debate fairly and respectfully with each type. How to communicate with and understand each of the types. Parenting together with personality types (making a great team). Separating from each type. Affairs/infidelity. How to show care, respect and love towards each type/temperament.

http://www.keirsey.com/personalityzone/cz1.asp Temperaments and school. Roommates. Your academic strengths. Sporting careers. College vs Technical Degree. Balancing work and school. Changing subjects/degrees. Failing Classes. Helicopter parents. Perfection trap. Professors. Internships. Professional organisations. Home for holidays. Double Majors/Degrees.

http://www.pta.org/bullying.asp This website has factsheets on:

 How to Plan a Connect for Respect Event
How PTAs Can Host a Conversation on Bullying in Their Community (pdf)

What You Can Do As a PTA Leader
Three Ways PTA Leaders Can Prevent Bullying (pdf)

Best Practices in School-Based Bullying Prevention
Ways schools can fight bullying.

Best Practices in Community-Based Bullying Prevention
How community leaders can act on bullying prevention.
Bullying prevention efforts seem to work best if they are coordinated by a representative group from the school. This coordinating team (which might include an administrator, a teacher from each grade, a member of the non-teaching staff, a school counselor or other school-based mental health professional, a school nurse, and a parent
 Roll out an anonymous questionnaire/survey on bullying (when and where it happens in the school, what kind of bullying, whether there was adult supervision in those areas etc). The benefits of conducting a survey of students are:

• Findings can help motivate adults to take action against bullying;
• Data can help administrators and other educators tailor a bullying prevention strategy to the particular needs of the school; and
• Data can serve as a baseline from which administrators and other educators can measure their progress in reducing bullying.

All staff should be able to intervene effectively on the spot to stop bullying (i.e.., in the 1–2 minutes that one frequently has to deal with bullying). Designated staff should also hold sensitive follow-up meetings with children who are bullied and (separately) with children who bully. Staff should involve parents of affected students whenever possible.
Bullying prevention efforts seem to work best if they are coordinated by a representative group from the school. This coordinating team (which might include an administrator, a teacher from each grade, a member of the non-teaching staff, a school counselor or other school-based mental health professional, a school nurse, and a parent.
Bullying tends to thrive in locations where adults are not present or are not vigilant. Once school personnel have identified hot spots for bullying from the student questionnaires, look for creative ways to increase adults’ presence in these locations.
 

Hello everyone,

http://www.chilout.org/

ChilOut is an Australian advocacy group that campaigns for the release of children from immigrant detention. It's unthinkable to believe that children are still being locked in detention (many are locked up for years) and yet it is still happening now.


There are now at least 628 children in detention sincee September 2010.

The Gillard government has announced that they'll be moving more children into the community. This is a huge step. However, there are still many children that are locked up in 'alternative accommodation'. In immigrant  residential housing children are monitored by CCTV, and accompanied by a security guard on the rare occasions that they can leave. Few refugee children can attend school, and excursions are rare. Housing tends to be cramped, and 150 Afghan boys haven't been released from Darwin Lodge since April 2010.

Read the Myths Vs the Facts here: http://www.chilout.org/index.php?p=1_10

You can also read the stories that these children have to say. It is simply heartbreaking and appalling: http://www.chilout.org/index.php?p=1_17 Many of these children have seen hunger strikes, fires and riots, in which tear gas and water cannons were used. There are refugee children who have been diagnsed with PTSD. They've fled from conflict, war and persecution - and their experiences in detention only worsen their distress.