About us
Imagine if you can, the utter anguish of losing a child, followed by a lifetime of grieving that loss.
Overlooked, grief has the potential to become an insurmountable challenge if supportive counsel is not offered.
The Ladybird Care Foundation seeks to fill the gap in essential bereavement-care services by providing a peer mentoring program to support, care for and empower grieving families to find hope and purpose after the death of a child of any age.
What we do
We outwork this mission by actively recruiting, training and supporting volunteer peer mentors, with lived experience, to become the human connection of support for parents, carers and extended family members who are newly bereaved. These mentors are carefully selected via a rigorous interview process, trained and supervised by qualified bereavement care personnel who then refer and match them to newly bereaved parents seeking ongoing, personalised support.
Our innovative charity is currently based in Queensland with a long-term vision of extending this vital family support service nationwide.
The Board
Wealth, business and life coach, Michael's goal is to live a life that enables others to discover what's possible.
CEO of Uniting Care, Craig has a desire to see strategic plans & implementation of sound business practices affected by the Peer Mentor Program and outworked through the recruitment of suitable volunteer parent mentors with lived experience.
Wayne Pascoe
Director / Co-Founder /
Emma's Dad
Business owner who is passionate about effecting change in bereavement care support services across Qld. Wayne is a member of the Community Advisory Group at the Qld Children's Hospital and also a Parent Mentor.
Colin Ginger
Director
Company Director, Colin is excited to see hope and healing realised for many bereaved parents and their extended families across our nation.
Greg Beech
Director
Former Business owner, school chaplain and the Children's Hospital School Chaplain, Greg's natural warmth & compassion mixed with incredible business acumen brings a wealth of lived knowledge to his role on the board of Ladybird Care.
Michael Delport
Foundational Member
Craig Barke
Director / Chairman
Our Staff
Wendy Collins
General Manager
Previously Chartered Accountant, university lecturer in business, funeral director and manager with George Hartnett Metropolitan Funerals, Wendy has a perfect combination of business experience and acumen, along with empathy in dealing with bereavement in a caring and professional context.
Dr Leigh Donovan
Peer Mentor Program Manager
Social worker, researcher, educator and advocate in paediatric palliative care, end of life care and specialist bereavement care for families. As a long-term advocate for an Australian health response to the care of bereaved families she was awarded a 2017 Churchill Fellowship.
Naomi Mason
Peer Mentor Project Officer
Social Worker with a specialty focus on grief and bereavement through counselling, research, education and mentoring. Background of supporting people in palliative care and community health settings.
Samantha Adams is a registered Psychologist, with valuable experience with counselling, family relationship support, professional training and mentoring.
Samantha Adams
Peer Mentor Project Officer
Creating memories with curated home and personal fragrance products. All profits support the Ladybird Care Foundation. www.lyscoccinelle.com.au
Maree Pascoe
Volunteer / Lys Coccinelle Manager / Emma's Mum
Our mission
To provide hope for the future and pathways towards healing for families whose child has passed away. Because our families are our highest priority, we carry out our mission with the utmost care, confidentiality and respect.
Our vision
To empower, support and care for grieving families who have lost a child, by equipping them with the knowledge and tools required to sustain long-term personal well-being.
ABOUT OUR LOGO
Ladybird - Our logo is formed in the red and black logo colours to represent a stylised ladybird. Ladybird Care was established in honour of one of the founding members’ children, Emma Louise Pascoe, who tragically passed away at the age of 18. She was affectionately known by family and friends as “Lily Ladybird”. It was fitting that a stylised ladybird should be the key feature of our logo.
Dots - The white dot symbolises the child who has passed away surrounded by black dots... the family members that loved the child remaining together with the mentor supporting that family.
Umbrella - Symbolises the umbrella of support that LCF offers extending to parents, siblings, grandparents and family members of children of any age who have passed away. This support also includes professional counselling appointments if needed for siblings.
