From 30 March 2012, this clearinghouse will be amalgamated into Child Family Community Australia (CFCA Information Exchange). For more information see the CFCA Information Exchange FAQ
Promising Practice Profiles by topic - Target group
Engaging hard-to-reach families
Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD)
Bilingual Storytimes in the Community
- Organisation: Hume City Council through a partnership between Hume Library Service, Hume Family and Childrens Services and the Hume Early Years Partnership
- Key activity: Outreach literacy development for children of isolated CALD families.
Breaking Cycles by Building Neighbourhoods
- Organisation: Brotherhood of St Laurence
- Key activity: The Breaking Cycles by Building Neighbourhood Hubs project aims to develop community hubs where children’s services work together to achieve better outcomes for young children and their families in Hume. The project targets families with young children (0–5 years old)—especially those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Bridges for African Men and Families
- Organisation: Relationships Australia, New Town (Hobart), Tasmania
- Key activity: Building service/client relationships and improving service responsiveness to meet the relationships needs of African Tasmanian communities.
The Brimbank Children's Circus Project
- Organisation: Westside Circus Incorporated, Fitzroy, Melbourne VIC
- Key activity: Provides a series of 10-week circus and literacy workshop programs with parents and children to learn new games, circus activities, performance skills and social skills.
Fairfield Refugee Nutrition Project
- Organisation: The Smith Family & NSW Refugee Health Service
- Key activity: Addresses nutrition and food security issues among refugee children and their families who have settled recently in Fairfield NSW.
FamilyZone Ingle Farm
- Organisation: Salvation Army, Ingle Farm, SA
- Key activity: Service Hub—Integrated service delivery through co-location and coordination of early childhood and family services.
Frankston Community Kitchens
- Organisation: Frankston Community Health Service
- Key activity: The aim is to build a sense of community and to improve the physical and mental health of participants through promoting healthy eating, learning how to plan, cook and share nutritious low-cost meals and fostering social inclusion.
Interactive CALD Parents' Support Services
- Organisation: Holroyd Parramatta Migrant Services, Toongabbie, NSW
- Key activity: Assisting parents and children from minority refugee and migrant backgrounds to access social, recreational, training, employment and community linkage activities.
Mobile Family Resource Centre also known as Bernie on Wheels
- Organisation: Burnie City Council
- Key activity: Providing resources and helping make connections with disengaged families through the use of a mobile family resource centre.
Our family is starting school - Tracks to big school
- Organisation: NSW Department of Education and Training
- Key activity: Transition to school program.
Partnerships with Parents (PWP) Program
- Organisation: SDN Children's Services (formerly Sydney Day Nursery)
- Key activity: Parenting support for socio-economically marginalised and at risk families.
The SDN Family Resource Centre
- Organisation: SDN Children's Services Inc (formerly Sydney Day Nursery)
- Key activity: Provision of information, advice and support for parents with young children aged 0–8 in Sydney’s south-west who are accessing the SDN Family Resource Centre’s toy/resource library.
Sunshine Learning Together
- Organisation: St Vincent de Paul Society (In partnership with Victorian Cooperative on Children’s Services in Ethnic Groups, Uniting Care Sunshine Mission, and Adult Multicultural Education Services)
- Key activity: Sunshine Learning Together is a dual generation learning program for parents who want to learn English and who have preschool age children. There are three components to the program: culturally appropriate early learning and activities for 0–5s; simultaneous English language tuition for the mothers; a follow-on parent–child program attended by both the mother and her children.
SuperGrands
- Organisation: Communities@Work - ACT
- Key activity: Family mentoring program.
Volunteering as a pathway to education, employment and civic participation ("Gateways")
- Organisation: Springvale Community Aid and Advice Bureau Inc (SCAAB), Melbourne (VIC)
- Key activity: Provides capacity building, resilience and self-reliance opportunities for disadvantaged members though community volunteering.
Indigenous
Aboriginal Dads Program
- Organisation: Males in Black Inc. and UnitingCare Wesley Port Pirie, Port Augusta SA
- Key activity: Supporting young Aboriginal fathers in positive parenting and community involvement through mentoring.
Communities for Children Early Childhood Coordinators (ECCs)
- Organisation: Centacare Wilcannia-Forbes (Facilitating partner for the Communities for Children - Dubbo, Narromine, Wellington initiative)
- Key activity: Coordination and development of early childhood service delivery responses to improve access and utilisation by the local community including Aboriginal children, children with additional needs (and their families).
Core of Life (COL)
- Organisation: Project undertaken by Menzies Inc - Peninsula Health, Frankston (Melbourne) VIC
- Key activity: Indigenous pre-parenting primarily life education program aimed at youth aged 14-17 years.
Families and Schools Together (FAST)
- Organisation: NT Christian Schools Association (in partnership with Anglicare NT's East Arnhem Communities for Children)
- Key activity: Early intervention/prevention program to strengthen family functioning and build protective factors in children.
Frankston Community Kitchens
- Organisation: Frankston Community Health Service
- Key activity: The aim is to build a sense of community and to improve the physical and mental health of participants through promoting healthy eating, learning how to plan, cook and share nutritious low-cost meals and fostering social inclusion.
Manage your income manage your life
- Organisation: Centacare Wilcannia–Forbes
- Key activity: Provision of access to quality financial counselling services free of charge to people in low income groups, experiencing financial crisis due to circumstances such as unemployment, sickness, credit over-commitment or family breakdown
Let's Start: Exploring Together Indigenous Preschool Program
- Organisation: The School of Social and Policy Research, Charles Darwin University, NT (Menzies School of Health Research as of February 2010)
- Key activity: Engaging Indigenous children and families in a therapeutic early intervention group program in urban and remote communities in the Northern Territory.
Moorditj Coolangars ('Solid Kids') Community Hub
- Organisation: Mt Lockyer Primary School, WA
- Key activity: Community Hub - Closing literacy and numeracy gaps between Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal children.
Partnerships with Parents (PWP) Program
- Organisation: SDN Children's Services (formerly Sydney Day Nursery)
- Key activity: Parenting support for socio-economically marginalised and at risk families.
Youth Insearch Leadership
- Organisation: Youth Insearch Foundation (YIF)
- Key activity: Youth Insearch is a 3-stage early intervention program for young people at risk between the ages of 12-18 years. The practice focuses on leadership training and personal development for at-risk young people, primarily from rural and regional communities.
Youth Insearch Program
- Organisation: Youth Insearch Foundation (YIF)
- Key activity: Youth Insearch weekend camp and follow-up program is an early intervention program for young people at risk between the ages of 12-18 years. It is peer focused, utilising peers supporting peers to achieve results.
Youth (including teens at risk of early pregnancy)
Core of Life (COL)
- Organisation: Project undertaken by Menzies Inc - Peninsula Health, Frankston (Melbourne) VIC
- Key activity: Indigenous pre-parenting primarily life education program aimed at youth aged 14-17 years.
Talking Realities... Young Parenting Peer-Education Program
- Organisation: Kingston Bayside Primary Care Partnership
- Key activity: A health promotion strategy for young parents and youth at risk of early pregnancy, utilising a peer-education model expanding the scope of existing school-based, sexual health programs.
Young Mum's Education
- Organisation: The Salvation Army Ingle Farm (SA)
- Key activity: Producing an educational booklet and DVD for young women about pregnancy and parenting appropriate and appealing to a youth audience.
Youth Insearch Leadership
- Organisation: Youth Insearch Foundation (YIF)
- Key activity: Youth Insearch is a 3-stage early intervention program for young people at risk between the ages of 12-18 years. The practice focuses on leadership training and personal development for at-risk young people, primarily from rural and regional communities.
Youth Insearch Program
- Organisation: Youth Insearch Foundation (YIF)
- Key activity: Youth Insearch weekend camp and follow-up program is an early intervention program for young people at risk between the ages of 12-18 years. It is peer focused, utilising peers supporting peers to achieve results.
Young parents
Connecting Young Parents (CYP)
- Organisation: Upper Hume Community Health Service
- Key activity: Multi-sector, collaborative, early intervention strategy for young parents in rural communities.
Hobsons Bay Young Parents Group
- Organisation: Melbourne Citymission
- Key activity: Young parent support and education.
Partnerships with Parents (PWP) Program
- Organisation: SDN Children's Services (formerly Sydney Day Nursery)
- Key activity: Parenting support for socio-economically marginalised and at risk families.
...whatwerewethinking! Psycho-Educational Program for Parents (PEPP)
- Organisation: Key Centre for Women's Health in Society, Melbourne School of Population Health, University of Melbourne
- Key activity: Early intervention with mothers and fathers soon after the birth of their first child to extend their knowledge and skills in managing infant needs and negotiating the new unpaid workload fairly, thereby alleviating potential mental health problems.
The SDN Family Resource Centre
- Organisation: SDN Children's Services Inc (formerly Sydney Day Nursery)
- Key activity: Provision of information, advice and support for parents with young children aged 0–8 in Sydney’s south-west who are accessing the SDN Family Resource Centre’s toy/resource library.
Strong Young Mums (SYM) - Bourke
- Organisation: Centacare Wilcannia Forbes, NSW
- Key activity: Supports young, teenage mothers to increase their skills and confidence in parenting, as well as to re-engage with education and community services relevant to their needs.
Talking Realities... Young Parenting Peer-Education Program
- Organisation: Kingston Bayside Primary Care Partnership
- Key activity: A health promotion strategy for young parents and youth at risk of early pregnancy, utilising a peer-education model expanding the scope of existing school-based, sexual health programs.
Young Mum's Education
- Organisation: The Salvation Army Ingle Farm (SA)
- Key activity: Producing an educational booklet and DVD for young women about pregnancy and parenting appropriate and appealing to a youth audience.
Children with a disability or other special needs
Building Blocks
- Organisation: Autism Spectrum (Australia)
- Key activity: An early intervention program for children with autism and their families.
Communities for Children Early Childhood Coordinators (ECCs)
- Organisation: Centacare Wilcannia-Forbes (Facilitating partner for the Communities for Children - Dubbo, Narromine, Wellington initiative)
- Key activity: Coordination and development of early childhood service delivery responses to improve access and utilisation by the local community including Aboriginal children, children with additional needs (and their families).
Frankston Community Kitchens
- Organisation: Frankston Community Health Service
- Key activity: The aim is to build a sense of community and to improve the physical and mental health of participants through promoting healthy eating, learning how to plan, cook and share nutritious low-cost meals and fostering social inclusion.
ProAQtive Early Intervention Program
- Organisation: Autism Queensland Inc.
- Key activity: Multi-disciplinary early childhood education and family support program provided as an early intervention strategy for preschool children with autism spectrum disorders and their family.
RIDBC’s Teleschool – Early Childhood Invest to Grow initiative
- Organisation: Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC) Parramatta (Sydney), NSW
- Key activity: Early learning and care for families with children who have hearing and/or vision loss and require specialist early intervention.
Rural Beginnings Project - Hub and Spoke
- Organisation: Kurrajong Early Intervention Service
- Key activity: Hub and spoke model of service delivery to rural communities.
Rural Beginnings Project - Team Around the Child
- Organisation: Kurrajong Early Intervention Service
- Key activity: The team provides individually tailored early intervention services, including early education, therapy, counselling and parent training to families who have babies and children with disabilities and developmental delays.
STaR Inclusive Early Childhood Project
- Organisation: Access Macquarie and STaR Inclusive Early Childhood Association
- Key activity: The STaR program aims to increase the inclusion of children with a disability in childcare settings by collaborating with families, early intervention professionals, local councils, not-for-profit organisations, and university academics to build capacity and skills of centre-based childcare staff.
Rural/remote families
Communities for Children Early Childhood Coordinators (ECCs)
- Organisation: Centacare Wilcannia-Forbes (Facilitating partner for the Communities for Children - Dubbo, Narromine, Wellington initiative)
- Key activity: Coordination and development of early childhood service delivery responses to improve access and utilisation by the local community including Aboriginal children, children with additional needs (and their families).
Frankston Community Kitchens
- Organisation: Frankston Community Health Service
- Key activity: The aim is to build a sense of community and to improve the physical and mental health of participants through promoting healthy eating, learning how to plan, cook and share nutritious low-cost meals and fostering social inclusion.
RIDBC’s Teleschool – Early Childhood Invest to Grow initiative
- Organisation: Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC) Parramatta (Sydney), NSW
- Key activity: Early learning and care for families with children who have hearing and/or vision loss and require specialist early intervention.
Rural Beginnings Project - Hub and Spoke
- Organisation: Kurrajong Early Intervention Service
- Key activity: Hub and spoke model of service delivery to rural communities.
Youth Insearch Leadership
- Organisation: Youth Insearch Foundation (YIF)
- Key activity: Youth Insearch is a 3-stage early intervention program for young people at risk between the ages of 12-18 years. The practice focuses on leadership training and personal development for at-risk young people, primarily from rural and regional communities.
Youth Insearch Program
- Organisation: Youth Insearch Foundation (YIF)
- Key activity: Youth Insearch weekend camp and follow-up program is an early intervention program for young people at risk between the ages of 12-18 years. It is peer focused, utilising peers supporting peers to achieve results.
Parents with learning difficulties
Frankston Community Kitchens
- Organisation: Frankston Community Health Service
- Key activity: The aim is to build a sense of community and to improve the physical and mental health of participants through promoting healthy eating, learning how to plan, cook and share nutritious low-cost meals and fostering social inclusion.
Healthy Start: A national strategy for children of parents with learning difficulties
- Organisation: Australian Supported Parenting Consortium - Parenting Research Centre (lead agency) and the University of Sydney
- Key activity: Supports parents with learning difficulties.