Little Dreamers » COVID-19 Update

COVID-19 Update

As the global COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, the health, safety and wellbeing of our Young Carers, Little Dreamers community and our team will remain our main focus as we operate our day to day business. To ensure the safety of our families, we have developed the following policy which has been communicated to our staff and volunteers and ask that you all take time to read it.

Below you will also find an update on our programs and revisions that have been made. We’re using this as a great opportunity to increase the reach of our programs and transform the way we offer support by creating virtual and online solutions.

Given the nature of our work and who we support, it is more important than ever that we all do our bit to reduce risk and help everyone in our community feel safe and supported. We will keep you updated as the situation unfolds, and we are confident that if we are all mindful and considerate, we will get through challenging times like this together.

Scheduled events and programs

Face-to-face events or programs in Victoria have been cancelled or postponed until further notice. We will continue to monitor the events calendar as the global COVID-19 situation evolves and continue to provide updates.
If you purchased a ticket for an event or program that has now been cancelled or postponed, you will receive a refund for this ticket.
If you would like to cancel a reservation due to concern, even if Little Dreamers is still planning to run the event or program, we will offer you a full refund regardless.
Little Dreamers has created online solutions as an alternative to our face-to-face programs. You can find updates on programs offering virtual alternatives below.

Working from home

The Little Dreamers team is working from home for the foreseeable future. This means that our St Kilda office is currently closed, however we are still contactable via the same phone number and email.

Office phone: 1800 717 515
General email: info@littledreamers.org.au

During this time, we encourage you to continue to contact the Little Dreamers team as usual for support and any additional needs you may have as a result of the pandemic.

Resources to help you understand COVID-19

Explore Life In Mind’s comprehensive list of resources for COVID-19 support, including the best sources of information, mental health services, and more.
Check out ABC’s COVID-19 coronacast podcast for all updates and information
Download resources for kids to help in understanding coronavirus
Access one off financial support available from the Government. Eligible recipients include Age Pension, Disability Support Pension, Carer Payment, Carer Allowance, Parenting Payment, Austudy, Newstart Allowance, Youth Allowance, Pensioner Concession Card, Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, Veteran Gold Card and many others. Find out more here.
Find information on extended supermarket hours here.
Head to Health can help you find the right Australian digital mental health and wellbeing resources, for yourself or for someone you care about.
Access ReachOut’s COVID-19 free online mental health support for young people and parents.
Read more about Covid-19 phone and data assistance packages provided by Telstra, Optus etc here.

If you are in crisis or need urgent help, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.

Dream Experience

While we are restricted by what we can organise for your Dream Experience, our program is still up and running. If we cannot facilitate your Dream Experience right now, you will still be able to receive one, it will just be down the track when it is safe to do so!

Holiday Programs

Our Holiday Programs were moved online as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. The program will return to face to face delivery when it is safe to do so, maintaining social distancing and regular sanitisation practices.

To keep up to date on our upcoming Holiday Programs, please follow this link.

Group Mentoring and Online Tutoring

Our Online Tutoring program is now up and running to assist Young Carers with school and learning during this difficult time. To register for online tutoring please complete our application for support here.

If you would like to apply to become a tutor please follow this link.

Our Group Mentoring Program will be run online for the foreseeable future. Find out more here.

Dreamers Hub

At this time more than ever, we’re seeing the importance of virtual programs and remote solutions, ensuring our most vulnerable have access to the support they need without having to leave the home.

The Dreamers Hub is an online support platform for Young Carers, with forums, resources and games to access from wherever, whenever.

If you’re a Young Carer, you can register for the Dreamers Hub via this link.

Carer Gateway

Given the restrictions placed on non-essential and face-to-face services, Little Dreamers is currently delivering the In-Person Peer Support groups in Queensland and New South Wales online.

Online groups will be facilitated using web-conferencing software Zoom (Young Carers will be guided through the process of setting this up). This means that Young Carers located anywhere across QLD and within the South West Sydney and Nepean-Blue Mountains areas can access the Peer Support Groups. Little Dreamers will continue to monitor and review the situation and provide updates throughout.

To register for support via the Carer Gateway and access phone support, contact the Carer Gateway on 1800 422 737. Find out more about the programs we’re offering here.

Need to Talk?

If you’re struggling with your mental health at this time, it’s important to know that you’re not alone. The best thing you can do is reach out for support, and talk to others about what’s going on.

Here are some useful resources during this time:

Emergency Respite

For emergency respite, call your local Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centre:

1800 052 222
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm

1800 059 059
After hours

Little Dreamers Australia