Page 1109 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 28 March 2017
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Another important part of the ACT government’s commitment to keeping children and young people safe and protected is our five-year out of home care strategy, A step up for our kids. This strategy is designed to improve outcomes for children and young people in care by providing more flexible, child-focused services, reducing the demand for out of home care places. The strategy places a strong emphasis on preventing children and young people from entering care and on moving them into permanent family settings as quickly as possible, if they do enter care.
Early intervention and prevention is another key priority for the ACT government. This priority is reinforced with our ongoing participation in the national data collection of the Australian early development census. The Australian early development census, or AEDC, is a triennial, national census that measures the development of children in their first year of school. In 2015 we completed the third cycle of this data collection. The census measures children’s development in the following areas: physical health and wellbeing; social competence; emotional maturity; language and cognitive skills; and communication skills and general knowledge. Compared to the national average, the ACT has a lower percentage of children developmentally vulnerable in four of these five areas as measured in the 2015 census.
The Community Services Directorate has been working with both the community and government to better understand the results from the AEDC and what they mean for our community. The AEDC helps us understand what we need to focus on to ensure that our children are getting the best start for school. By working together to understand these results at a local community level, we can share responsibility for improving outcomes for children. It means we can also collaborate to trial new approaches that successfully engage with families that may be experiencing vulnerability and disadvantage.
For example, prep for pre, a program preparing children for preschool, was developed in term 4 last year by the West Belconnen Child and Family Centre in partnership with the Education Directorate and the Child Development Service. It was developed specifically in response to intake data from the West Belconnen Child and Family Centre that indicated a relatively high proportion of children in west Belconnen who are entering preschool with vulnerability, as well as feedback from families who had asked for some tips and strategies to help them get ready for this important transition.
At the same time, parents and carers were invited to participate in small group workshops delivered by staff from the Child Development Service and the West Belconnen Child and Family Centre. These sessions were informed by the AEDC data for Belconnen to address developmental vulnerability. Support offered included parenting, preschool readiness, self-care skills and child development sessions. I am told there were positive outcomes from this program, with children feeling confident and ready for preschool, and parents and carers equipped with practical strategies and avenues to seek additional information and supports as needed. This is an excellent example of translating data to drive evidence-informed service delivery and build the capacity of families and community to support young children.
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