Victorian Chinese-Speaking Developmental Disability Carer Support & Preparedness Group

About the Group

Caring for a child, young person or adult with a developmental disability can involve long-term and demanding responsibilities. Family carers may need to coordinate daily support, education, healthcare and service arrangements while also facing language barriers, fragmented information, social isolation and concerns about future care.

Established by The Particle Studio Ltd, this group aims to provide a respectful, welcoming and culturally responsive space for Chinese-speaking family carers who share similar caring experiences.

Members may choose to share their experiences, exchange practical information, learn about available support resources and connect with others who understand the realities of long-term family care. Members are also welcome to listen without disclosing anything they would prefer to keep private.

Our Purpose

The group aims to support Chinese-speaking family carers of people with developmental disabilities to:

Reduce social isolation and build trusted peer connections;
Share lived experience and practical knowledge;
Better navigate government, carer and community support services;
Support their own health and wellbeing;
Prepare for unexpected disruptions to caring arrangements.

The group respects the circumstances, experiences and choices of every family. We do not compare people’s abilities, diagnoses, support needs, therapies or family decisions.

Who the Group Is For

The group is for Chinese-speaking family members living in Victoria who provide unpaid care to a child, young person or adult with a developmental disability, including:

Parents, grandparents and other primary family carers;
Carers of people with autism, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, Down syndrome, Angelman syndrome, Rett syndrome, or related genetic and neurodevelopmental conditions;
Families supporting people who are non-speaking, have high support needs or require ongoing supervision;
Carers who would like to connect with others who have similar experiences.

Participants do not need professional experience, and the person they care for does not need to have an NDIS plan.

Emergency Care Preparedness

The group will gradually explore practical family care preparedness, helping carers consider support arrangements in advance if a primary carer becomes temporarily unable to continue providing care due to illness, hospitalisation or another unexpected event.

Participation and Confidentiality

Participants must respect other members and the choices of different families. Personal information shared within the group must remain confidential.

Without consent, participants must not record meetings, take screenshots, share another member’s experiences or promote commercial products or services to group members.

Full participation, confidentiality and privacy guidelines will be provided before taking part in the group. Participants will be asked to confirm that they understand and agree to follow these guidelines.

Service Boundaries

The group provides peer connection, general information, experience and resource sharing, and family preparedness activities. It does not provide medical or legal advice, psychological therapy, NDIS case management or emergency care services.

Personal experiences shared by members do not constitute professional advice.

For urgent or life-threatening situations, call 000. For carer support, contact Carer Gateway on 1800 422 737.

About the Organiser

The group is established and operated by The Particle Studio Ltd, building on TPS’s existing Chinese-speaking family support initiatives, community connections and access to community facilities.

Contact and Expression of Interest

If you live in Victoria and provide unpaid care to a child, young person or adult with a developmental disability, you are welcome to contact us via WeChat to learn more about the group and register your interest.

Scan the QR code below to connect with us on WeChat. Please include the note: Carer Support Group.

This group is currently being established and is accepting expressions of interest. Contacting TPS registers your interest only and does not automatically confirm membership or guarantee individual support. Before participating, prospective members will receive the group’s participation, confidentiality and privacy guidelines and will be asked to agree to them.

At this stage, please provide only basic contact details and participation preferences. Do not send sensitive medical, legal, NDIS or emergency information through WeChat. Information provided will only be used to contact you and arrange group participation. It will not be shared without your consent unless required by law or necessary to address an immediate safety concern.