Help families in need this Christmas

Christmas is one of the most stressful times of year for many families but for those living in poverty, stress during the festive season has a much greater negative impact on children’s lives.

Mary Haiek, a Barnardos Program Manager at the Auburn Children’s Family Centre says “Over 420,000 of Australian households with children under 13, survive on an average of $347 per week*. These parents and carers feel pressured to buy gifts for their children at Christmas that they simply cannot afford and end up in debt long after the festive season. The financial stress can have a massive impact on the family dynamic leading to alcohol and drug abuse, homelessness or violence towards partners and children.

“Every Christmas, with more and more families who are already living in poverty, we see an increase in homelessness and more domestic violence as alcohol and stress takes its toll on troubled families. We work with more young people who are sleeping under bridges or staying with friends who are trying to get away from a bad situation at home.”

In the lead up to, during and after Christmas, Barnardos is busier than any other time of year and the charity relies heavily on Christmas toy donations and cash donations through its annual Star of Wonder Appeal:

The cash and toy donations help Barnardos provide support to families by offering services to minimise stress in families in need:

– The toys purchased online by the public will be sent to Barnardos to distribute to parents and carers, who will give them to the children with on Christmas morning. This relieves the financial burden on parents and ensures that every child that Barnardos works with has a present to open on Christmas morning

– With cash donations Barnardos provides 24 hour counselling and support to clients in need

– With cash donations Barnardos assists with emergency accommodation for young people, children and families. These people may be fleeing domestic violence, evicted from a property or escaping abuse, andBarnardos ensures food packages are available during the Christmas season to families.

All families can lower the impact of stress this Christmas by following these ten suggestions:

1. Give a Christmas gift to charity. Involve your children so they understand the true spirit of giving at Christmas as there are other children who are less fortunate. To donate a toy, gift card or cash online to Barnardos’ Star of Wonder Gifts for Kids.

2. Be realistic about what you can afford – have a budget of necessities, such as gas bills and phone/ rent/ mortgage for January so you’re not over-extending yourself

3. Consider organising a Secret Santa for the adults – pick a name out of a hat and each person has only one gift to buy, plus you can set a price limit too, so no one goes overboard

4. Use cash instead of credit cards so that there is no big surprises in January as you can monitor your spending

5. Plan what you’re going to buy people and put a cost to it, to keep a running tally of what you aim to spend

6. Try to stick to purchasing one good gift for children, rather than lots of smaller gifts – these smaller gifts tend to add up to more than you originally planned to pay

7. Children are happy to simply spend time with their families, so focus on child-friendly activities and enjoy each other’s company

8. Everyone should pitch in to help on Christmas Day – this is good bonding time and takes the pressure of just one person who would otherwise do everything

9. Take some time out to relax in the run up to Christmas; remember that it is only one day and it isn’t the end of the world if it doesn’t go exactly to plan

10. Christmas may be an emotional time for some. Take time out for yourself if you feel you need it and remember that if you or anyone you know cannot cope; seek support from professionals such as welfare agencies like Barnardos, mental health helplines or your local medical centre.

*Statistic taken from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare – A picture of Australia’s Children, 2009