The Family Services Team of South Eastern Community Connect has received a Stronger Community Grant from Bayside Council to kickstart an innovative program to support local families with early intervention.
The grant of $49,654 will fund a program called “Start Right, Start Early.” The program is a pilot to create a model of integrated care, linking access to a Child and Family Health Nurse, Community Child Health services, Speech Pathology, key child and family services providers and the NGO sector.
The program will create a hub at supported playgroups to give families access to a range of services in one place, with support from the playgroup facilitator, a qualified early childhood educator who knows the child, the family and their needs.
“Finding the right information, support and services for each individual family at the right time is a complex task, and some families, for example those for whom English is not the first language or those whose children have additional needs, finding what they need in one place can be near impossible,” explains Vida Tebyani, Family and Multicultural Manager with South Eastern Community Connect.
“Waiting lists can be long, assessments are expensive, and parents can end up chasing appointments with several providers but without an integrated outcome”, Vida explains.
“Our program aims to create a “one stop shop” and a first port of call for families who don’t know where to start their journey to finding the right support.
“We are integrating this hub into our supported playgroups because it is the early years and the preschool year that make all the difference for a child’s potential to succeed in school,” she says.
The program will start to roll out in the supported playgroups of South Eastern Community Connect later this year and will expand into other supported playgroups in Bayside Council.
South Eastern Community Connect Playgroups are running Monday to Thursday during school terms. Times and locations.
For more information contact
Vida Tebyani
Family and Multicultural Manager
South Eastern Community Connect
02 8338 8502