Page 1461 - Week 04 - Thursday, 12 April 2018
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The Child, Youth and Family Services Program (the Program) funds 26 community organisations to deliver holistic, wrap-around services for children, young people and their families, and supports for vulnerable children and young people aged 0 to 25 years and their families.
A significant focus of the Program is to provide outreach where deemed appropriate and of benefit to children, young people and their families, including new parents.
The Family Foundations Program (Family Foundations) delivered under the Children’s Services Program by Belconnen Community Service is a free, early intervention program promoting strong, secure, and healthy relationships between children aged 0-5 years and their parents/carers.
The Family Foundations team support parents and carers to strengthen family relationships and bonds during early childhood. Parents gain knowledge, experience and develop strategies to build their parenting skills. Family Foundations provides flexible options and supports that meet individual needs. Home visits through an outreach model are provided to families with barriers to transport.
Outreach is a key component of many funded services and is most effective when different services co-locate, which happens at Child and Family Centres.
New parents can access a range of programs and services delivered at Child and Family Centres. These include programs such as Parents as Teachers; home visiting; case management for families with high and complex needs, a range of parenting courses (including Circle of Security which focuses on positive parent child relationships), supported playgroups and referral to local playgroups auspiced under the ACT Playgroups Association. Poppy is a supported group for parents and carers with mental health issues where parents and carers can meet with other families and share experiences while having fun playing with their children. Poppy is facilitated by ACT Mental Health, the Richmond Fellowship and Child and Family Centres.
A number of ACT Health services are delivered from the Child and Family Centres. These include Child Health Clinics, Drop-In Clinics, immunisation clinics, and groups for new parents about a range of issues, such as settling your baby and nutrition. The Women’s Health Service provides nursing and counselling services to support women’s health and wellbeing.
For more information about the Child and Family Centres visit:
http://www.communityservices.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/701639/2017-FINAL-Child-and-Family-Centres-ACT-A-guide-to-our-programs-and-services-2017.pdf
The ACT Government’s Child Development Service assists families who have concerns about their child’s development. This may include concerns about a child developing skills more slowly than others of the same age, in areas such as speech and language, movement, hand skills, self-care, and social development.
The Child Development Service has an intake service and provides drop-in clinics which provide a way for parents, carers and other referrers to seek advice, find out if further services are necessary and where these services are available. Access to speech pathology, occupational therapy, social work, physiotherapy, psychology, Child
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