Their Story: Tim* and Robbie*
The Australian Mutuals Foundation is proud to be Barnardos Australia’s top corporate partner, a national leading children’s charity which does vital work in helping to protect children from abuse or neglect.
Twin brothers Tim* and Robbie* were only 10 years old when they were removed from their biological parents by the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) because of severe trauma and neglect. This seriously affected their mental health and wellbeing, especially for Robbie who developed learning delays and a speech impairment.
The promise of a new and better life through adoption wasn’t as Tim and Robbie had hoped. Over the course of three years, the boys received constant threats and emotional abuse from their adoptive mother. This led to both boys becoming withdrawn and mistrusting. It became so bad that Robbie was hospitalised due to suicidal thoughts.
Fiona’s* son was friends with Tim and Robbie and when she became aware of their situation, she knew she had to do something to help. Fiona wanted to take them away from the abusive environment as quickly as possible and she opened up her home to Tim and Robbie.
Both Tim and Robbie required multiple support programs and specialists to properly heal from the trauma they had experienced. Fiona sought help from the Barnardos to help come up with a plan to help Tim and Robbie recover from their ordeal.
On their road to recovery, Robbie was able to work on his speech impairment with regular OT (occupational therapists) visits, and also provided opportunities to manage his emotions with scheduled gm sessions. Barnardos helped them with Centrelink support, as well as other financial and educational support.
Today, Tim and Robbie have come such a long way from when they started their journey towards recovery. They are on track to completing their high school education and look forward to eventually applying for University and TAFE courses to continue their studies. They have both turned into mature, confident and articulate young men that are forging ahead with determination and resilience.
Tim and Robbie’s story highlights the important work of Barnardos and how intervention programs can help children in need recover from abuse or neglect.
The Australian Mutuals Foundation is proud to be a corporate partner to Barnardos Australia, which is one of Australia’s leading children charities. If you would like to help support their amazing work, please donate today.
*names changed and stock photo used to protect privacy
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