Gentle Bear provides a helping hand to Territory Families

Gentle Bear has been working hard to help children in need, recently expanding his mission further into the Northern Territory.

The Gentle Bear Program has began supporting Territory Families, with bears to provide children who are experiencing a traumatic situation.

Established in September 2016, Territory Families is a government agency that provides family services.

The bears will be handed out as part of care packs given to children by Territory Families front-line staff when they think kids could use a Gentle Bear hug.

A representative from Territory Families, said that they was very excited that Territory Families is the first Children and Families Agency worldwide to join the Gentle Bear family.

“The Gentle Bear project is a fantastic initiative and we welcome any opportunity to help children feel safe and supported in a crisis situation.”

“We really appreciate Gallagher Bassett approaching us to be a part of the Gentle Bear family. These bears will not only make a difference to the children but to the dedicated front-line staff who work tirelessly to help ensure the best for our Territory children,” she said.

GB Team Members visited Territory Families earlier this week to donate an initial package of bears. 

John Deane, NT Operations Manager, was pleased to be handing over Gentle Bears to such a worthwhile cause.

“GB is thrilled to have Territory Families join us in the Gentle Bear Program. Our team members based at the Northern Territory believed that collaborating with Territory Families was a priority, so we are all delighted that this partnership has come to fruition and to be expanding our work into Care and Protection Agencies.” 

“We have been receiving positive feedback with Northern Territory front-line workers telling us that they can instantly see the relief on the child’s face when they provide them with one of our bears,” he said. 

The bear serves as an emotional aid to distract a child’s attention from the immediate distressing situation by providing a recognisable and safe object for them to cuddle.

Gentle Bear has had a busy year, touring the Northern Territory to support the NT Police, Fire and Emergency Services, expanding the program into Queensland and even visiting the Jane Goodall Chimp Rehab Centre in South Africa.

Click here to read more about GB’s Gentle Bear and follow Gentle Bear’s adventures on Facebook here.