Communities for Children Plus to help WA families

Families in Midland, WA, will benefit from the new Communities for Children Plus site, which will help children under the age of 12 who need extra support to reach their full potential.

Launched last month by Parliamentary Secretary for Community Services, Julie Collins, the Communities for Children Plus service will be delivered by Swan Alliance – which is made up of Mission Australia, Anglicare WA and the parenting service Ngala.

It is one of eight Communities for Children Plus sites in communities of high disadvantage, the others being Kempsey and Campbelltown in New South Wales, Playford in South Australia, Launceston in Tasmania, Ipswich in Queensland, Cardinia in Victoria, and East Arnhem in the Northern Territory.

The Swan Alliance will receive $3.3 million over three years to offer a range of services for local Midland families, including playgroups, after-school and school holiday activities, and events to encourage social interaction between parents from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

These services will be delivered in Beechboro, Bullsbrook, Caversham, Ellenbrook, Kiara, Koongamia, Lockridge, Middle Swan, Midland, Stratton and Midvale.

"This is not a silver bullet but a long-term plan,” Mission Australia's WA Director Ross Kyrwood said last week.
“We want to see this longer dream bring about some real change. We hope the community can learn to trust us to bring about transformation."

Image courtesy of Community Newspaper Group

Media Release: Mission Australia to host community forum at Rooty Hill RSL today

Mission Australia – the facilitating partner for the Mt Druitt Communities for Children program – is hosting a community forum at the Rooty Hill RSL today to discuss service gaps in the local area.

Around 50 representatives from local community services and agencies will attend the forum and will contribute to developing a strategic plan to provide improved support for children, 0-12, and their families in the Mt Druitt area.

Giving the keynote address at the forum will be Dr Fiona Hilferty from the University of NSW who will be speaking on the impact of poverty on children’s learning.

Communities for Children is a Federal Government program that provides support to vulnerable and at risk children, parents and families.

Mission Australia’s spokesperson, Angela Power, said the aim of the forum is to identify issues and challenges facing families in and around Mt Druitt as well as improve service delivery for children and families.

“This forum will be the first step in the process and we hope to encourage service providers to come along and participate as well as form valuable networks with other providers in the area,” Ms Power said.

“As the facilitating partner for the Mt Druitt Communities for Children program, part of Mission Australia’s role is to identify gaps in service delivery dealing with children and families and assist in identifying ways to fill those gaps and plan for the future.”

Mt Druitt Communities for Children is funded by the Federal Government’s Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

For more information on Mission Australia's Communities 4 Children program, please visit the C4C website (click here).