Mary and Rachelle joined Amanda’s Circle of Support when they were teenagers. They have continued to enjoy spending time with Amanda as they’ve grown older, making time for her between their busy studies and full-time work. Recently they’ve taken important steps for safeguarding Amanda’s future.
“Amanda is our cousin; she loves singing, making people smile and telling jokes. We have a very small family here in Australia and we are fortunate to have Amanda in our lives. She is very important to us because she is always ready for a cheeky laugh and is very caring about everyone in her life. Now that we are older, we both felt we needed to do some planning for Amanda’s future and think about the roles we might need to take on.
Over the last 18 months we met regularly with our Aunty to plan out what was needed. Our Circle of Support facilitator guided us in this process and helped us document an action plan and time frames.
We went at our pace. There were some uncomfortable conversations, emotion and tears. It brought us all closer together and now we have a clear picture on what is needed in the future. We are now identified as having official authority in Amanda’s life as her mother is ageing, we will be there for Amanda for her future.”
Resources for future planning and safeguarding:
- Safe and Secure – steps to creating a better future
Future Living https://safeandsecure.org.au/ - Why it Matters – Succession planning
Community Resource Unit https://cru.org.au/resources/whyitmatters/
