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Family and 		Children's Services Western Australia

Agency List
Identify agencies you may wish to help with some voluntary work.

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Volunteering WA provides a matching service for member agencies. Register Your Interest as a Volunteer.

Volunteering in Parent Support Services

Parenting Resources

There is a large range of parenting information and resources available throughout Western Australia.

Three boys reading For those of you in more remote locations perhaps the best option is to order books through your local library. To find out whether a book is available check out the Library Information Service of WA catalogue (LISWA) on the Internet.

Family and Children's Services Parenting Information Centres are located throughout the metropolitan area as well as in a number of country regions. Membership for parents is free and they can borrow a range of resource material including books and videos. Our Agency List will let you know whether there is one in your area. There are a number of mobile centres now that travel into the more remote and isolated areas.

Meerilinga Young Children's Foundation Inc has a number of services for parents, students, teachers and childcare workers. The Parenting Information Services are specially designed to provide information, advice and resources for parents and grandparents through workshops and personal service. The Toy and Educational Resource Library is a treasure trove of educational play resources for young children to enhance their development. The bookshop specialises in the sale of items from not-for-profit organisations and catalogues are available. Meerilinga is located at 1186 Hay St in West Perth and the contact phone number is (08) 94245210
E-mail administration@meerilinga.org.au

The Internet is a good source of parenting information from around Australia and the world.
Family and Children's Services has a Parenting Site packed with information for parents. This is an excellent, vibrant site which is easy to navigate.
Department of Human Services (Victoria) Youth and Family Services Section has some parenting resources.
Disability Resources is the links page of the Disability Services Commission and lists agencies from which parents may get assistance

Volunteering New South Wales also has a useful site

US Parenting Sites

Parenting Matters provides information about ways of parenting that work not just for the short term, but will aid in that long term assistance in raising self-reliant, responsible human beings. They promote a democratic style of parenting that is firm, yet fair, as well as mutually respectful.
Positive Parenting (On-line!) was developed as part of one individual's strong desire to share her knowledge of positive parenting and to help parents everywhere learn to be more effective parents.
The purpose of National Parent Information Network is to provide information to parents and those who work with parents and to foster the exchange of parenting materials. Materials included full text on NPIN have been reviewed for reliability and usefulness.

Energize is an international training, consulting and publishing firm specializing in volunteerism. If these words are in your vocabulary--community service, membership development, auxiliary, community organizing, service-learning, lay ministry, pro bono work, supporter, friends group, political activist, service club-- we can help!! Founded in 1977, Energize has assisted organizations of all types with their volunteer efforts--whether they are health and human service organizations, cultural arts groups, professional associations, or schools.

For those of you who like to buy books, there are also numerous bookshops getting onto the Internet. Here are a few to get you started;

  • Down to Earth Bookshop Situated in Perth, Down To Earth is well-recognised as a specialist New Age bookstore, with its focus strongly in the areas of psychology, religion, metaphysics, health, self-help, business & science.
  • Angus and Robertson Bookshop in Hay St Perth and in shopping centres throughout Australia
  • Australian Online Bookshop
  • Amazon.com
  • Alt.bookstore
  • Dymocks Bookshop
  • The COOP Bookshop. A member-owned co-operative of 50 bookstores covering technical and general books. Happy to take orders by E-mail or over internet, either special orders or from ther range of titles. Membership is $20 for a life membership giving discounts of 12% for cash or 10% for credit card purchases. [employee]
  • Parenting Press is a US book company whose goal is to offer useful books that teach practical life skills to children and parents as well as those who care for them.

    Suggested Readings

    How to talk so kids will listen and listen so kids will talk 1980 Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish
    The Secret of Happy Children 1988 Steve Biddulph
    Becoming Better Parents 1997 Maurice Blason
    Parent Survival Kit 1993 Adele Dingle
    Let Me Play 1985 Roy McConkey & Simon Hewson
    Sibling Rivalry 1995 Richard Woolfson
    A Good Enough Parent: the guide to bringing up Children 1987 Bruno Bettelheim
    Assertive Discipline for Parents 1988 Lee Canter
    Child Behaviour: from the Gesell Institute of Human Development 1992 Frances Ilg, Louise Bates Ames Sydney Baker
    How to Discipline Children without feeling guilty: Assertive relationships with children 1980 Melvin Silberman & Susan Wheelan
    STEP systematic training for effective parenting: The parent's handbook 1989 Don Dinkmeyer & Gary McKay
    Talking with kids: how to improve communication and your relationship with your children 1995 Alison Mulvaney
    Your child: expert advice on raising healthy children 1994 Douglas Cohen, Kim Oates and John Yu