Broken, but not forgotten

With around 48% of Australian marriages ending in divorce, one of the hard realities chaplains see is that of broken families.

Thanks to your support, chaplains are able to step into spaces where there is hurting and heartache and offer vital emotional support that changes lives.

Below is one chaplain’s story of helping a child, Oliver (not their real name) in the wake of his parents’ divorce.

Each Friday Oliver has to swap between his mum’s place and his dad’s place, where he experiences two contrasting parenting styles, and sometimes even has to listen to brutal criticisms of the other parent.

I initially started working with Oliver because he was incredibly emotional in class, especially on Fridays. He’d be fresh from the teary goodbye to either mum or dad, knowing he wouldn’t see them again for a whole week.

On Friday mornings now Oliver and I kick a footy and chat about how he is going. Simple stuff. But it makes a massive difference to Oliver.

Last week his teacher told me: “Oliver is an absolute mess when he comes to school but he’s settled and calm after he comes back from his time with you.”

I can’t ‘fix’ Oliver’s family and it would be wrong to attempt to ‘fix’ him. But I can add value by being a steady presence (for around a year now!), a listening ear, and someone who can offer kind words in his moments of vulnerability.

Your support is helping chaplains be the hearts and hands of Jesus when it matters most. Every child and young person needs to know they are safe and loved. To support this transformational work visit su.org.au/donate.