Social issues impacting children, young people and families in your community
There are many positives for families living in the Mid Coast region, as there are in most regional communities in NSW and indeed all over Australia. We also know there are some social issues that exist in regional areas. There has been a lot of discussion in the media (on TV and radio) about the big social issues that many communities face on an ongoing basis and we are interested in finding out your views on major issues across the MidCoast.
Some of the issues that grab the headlines in many communities all over Australia are about children facing abuse and neglect; children not doing well at school for a range of reasons including children leaving school early (before Year 12); children being bullied or bullying others; children or adolescents drinking too much, taking drugs, being violent; teenage pregnancies; and a growing incidence of children and young people with mental health issues.
For women and children domestic violence is often a big social problem, as are high levels of unemployment, drug and alcohol abuse, lack of good nutrition, and many others.
Mission Australia and Communities for Children work to improve outcomes for children and families in the Manning, Great Lakes and Gloucester regions and we are seeking opinions from local families about the biggest social issues facing their communities.
The information gathered will be reviewed along with other information that is collected on your communities and used by Mission Australia and its partners to develop a community profile that will help us identify the biggest issues and decide on programmes that would be beneficial in addressing some of these issues.
We would be grateful if you could take a moment or two to consider the following questions.
