About UMFC – strengthening and caring for families and children since 1979
From humble beginnings in 1979, UMFC has grown into a vibrant and diverse organisation, with a primary goal of strengthening, nurturing and caring for children and families throughout North East Victoria and the Upper Murray.
Under the legal entity of Upper Murray Family Care Limited (branded as UMFC) we are an independent, non-government, community managed organisation, offering a range of quality services that are responsive to the varying needs of communities extending from the cities of Albury/Wodonga, Wangaratta and Benalla, to townships throughout the Towong, Mansfield, Alpine and Indigo shires.
By providing information, support and advocacy, we seek to empower individuals, families and community groups, and to contribute to a balanced, just and ethical society. If you are interested in supporting the work of UMFC, please contact us. We would love to hear from you.
UMFC at its core
Our vision
Every child and young person in our communities are cared for.
Our purpose
Together we support our families and communities so that we hear the voices of our children, young people and families to support them to heal, rebuild and lead meaningful lives.
Our values
We recognise that the child and young person’s voice is paramount. We walk alongside children, young people and families to achieve positive outcomes and sustainable change with:
- unwavering integrity
- passionate optimism
- considered empathy
- bravely collaborative
- determined advocacy
Our guiding principles for achieving impact
We are accountable to our communities, our Board and our funding bodies to ensure that:
- we provide care and support that is valued and effective
- we have an enduring and positive reputation
- we run an effective and viable for-purpose business
- we operate soundly and efficiently
- we are a reliable and trusted partner of government.
Our Strategic Priorities
Our people are our most valued asset and we care about them
We are not deviating from who we are – we are building on our values and our foundation. Together, we create an organisational culture where we care for and empower our people to achieve their potential and collectively make a positive difference.
We invest in organisational transformation and program innovation
We collaborate and innovate together to achieve efficiency and excellence in client, stakeholder and employee experience through system and program ideation, transformation, creation and development.
We advocate for the benefit of our communities
We are part of a movement for change that is greater than ourselves. Our regional communities deserve equity and access – we lead and advocate for the benefit of our children, young people and families.
Our scale and impact
We value being authentically place-based and in touch with our communities. We will deepen our scale and reach throughout our footprint in northern Victoria and southern NSW.
Together we disrupt trans-generational disadvantage and trauma through holistic and integrated care
We provide effective and evidence-based integrated and holistic child and young person centred, family focused programs and services across the prevention continuum from promotion and early health to response, healing and recovery.
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UMFC’S COMMITMENT TO CHILD SAFETY AND WELLBEING
Upper Murray Family Care (UMFCC) is committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people. This is the primary focus of our care and decision making.
We commit to informing children and young people about their rights as recommended by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) including:
- the right to participate and be heard
- the right to be safe and not harmed by anyone
- the right to live and grow up healthy
- the right to express their views and have a say about decisions that affect them, and
- the right to information, such as information about the policies and procedures that affect them.
UMFC is committed to providing a child safe environment where children and young people are safe and feel safe, and their voices are heard about decisions that affect their lives. Particular attention will always be paid to the cultural safety of Aboriginal children, children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, children with a disability, and children who are unable to live at home, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex children and young people.
Every person at UMFC has a responsibility to understand the important and specific role they play, individually and collectively, to ensure that the wellbeing and safety of all children and young people is at the forefront of all they do, and every decision they make.
UMFC has no tolerance for child abuse and is committed to child safety in all of its operations and delivery of child and family centred programs and services. As an organisation, we:
- Want children to be safe, and feel empowered
- Are committed to the safety, participation, and empowerment of all children
- Follow all legal and moral obligations to contact relevant authorities when it is suspected that children are not safe
- Prevent child abuse by identifying and mitigating risk within our organisation and removing those risks
- Empower our staff and volunteers to uphold these commitments through rigorous screening of potential staff and supporting our staff with related processes to ensure children are safe
- Train our staff to identify and respond to suspected abuse and to raise concerns when it is identified that children are not safe
- Take allegations seriously and investigate and inform families of the actions we have taken
- Are committed to the cultural safety of Aboriginal children, the cultural safety of children from a culturally and/or linguistically diverse background, and to provide a safe environment for children with a disability, or who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex children and young people
The Sanctuary Model
The Sanctuary Model is an evidence based model supporting everyone in our UMFC community. Find out more about Sanctuary at UMFC by clicking below.
Our focus is always on the best interests of the children we support.
We hear their voices and we maintain their safety and wellbeing as paramount.
