When kids need a buddy

FEELING scared, alone and in need of comfort is a pretty awful feeling, especially for children.

However, the Alannah and Madeline Foundation has gone some way to alleviate those fears for vulnerable Tasmanian children through its Buddy Bags initiative.

The foundation yesterday oversaw the donation of more than 100 Buddy Bags, which contain toiletries, pyjamas, underwear, books, activity kits and an all-important teddy bear, to Children and Youth Services Tasmania.

The Tasmania Police Charity Trust donated 97 bags while the Family Law Practitioners Association added a further 20 to the service, with vulnerable children entering emergency accommodation to benefit.

Trust deputy chair and Tasmania Police deputy Commissioner Scott Tilyard said feeling scared, alone, and in need of comfort could be alleviated by Buddy Bags.

“Being moved into emergency accommodation can be swift and traumatic for a child,” he said. “[It] often leaves them facing unfamiliar surroundings with nothing more than the clothing they are wearing.”

Lawyer Marcus Turnbull presented donations on behalf of the Family Law Practitioners Association.

“Family lawyers are at the coal face of child safety matters engaged in a process to try and deliver the best outcomes for some of Tasmania’s most vulnerable children,” he said.

Receiving the donations was foundation patron, Governor Kate Warner.