Latest News: Keeping Our Kids At Heart book-
Centacare is proud to present the ‘Keeping Our Kids at Heart’ book - Click here to enter the Keeping Our Kids At Heart Book Home Page.
The book, a compilation of stories from participants, celebrates the success of the initiative within the communities of Dubbo, Wellington and Narromine Shire.
‘Keeping Our Kids at Heart’ came about because we wanted to share and celebrate the stories of those families involved with Communities for Children. We wanted you to see just how far we have come in four years.
Each of our participants in the book has shared a small part of their life story, demonstrating how little acts can make big changes in the lives of families.
Hopefully their stories highlight how we as a community can come together to build something quite wonderful and unique. Please have a look at the pdf of the book attached. Thank you. Riki.
A Word from Riki:
I want to thank all the communities of Dubbo, Wellington and Narromine Shire for your input in the re-shaping of Communities for Children to 2012.
The consultations with you and a needs analysis undertaken by CSU in 2009, shaped our new activities to 2012. These activities are:
CONNECTING COMMUNITY:
1.1 CfC Coordinators: Achieving outcomes for children and families through participating in and developing service and community networks, advocating and facilitating existing and new services to outreach to community and identified schools, providing information to families and services and developing and sharing service directories.
1.2 Facilitating networks: Engaging local stakeholders including parents, early childhood services, primary and high schools, community services, local government and government departments to: coordinated support to vulnerable families; identify and share good practice; share information and resources; and shared planning across government departments.
EMPOWERING FAMILIES:
2.1 School Transitions: Supporting families, communities and service providers to work together to support transitions to and between levels in Primary Schools and into High School.
2.2 Strengthening School Connections: Assisting local Primary Schools to develop models which support vulnerable parents and children connect more strongly with the school system.
2.3 Community Mentors: Providing training to appropriate members of the communities (including Aboriginal communities) to increase support to families and meet identified needs. i.e. playgroup facilitation, parenting programs, and assisting the delivery of therapeutic services. It is anticipated that this training could lead to accreditation in Child Studies and other disciplines.
2.4 Us Through Arts: Encouraging increased engagement and support of Aboriginal children and families by developing culturally relevant resources and activities and linking parents into the Parents as Mentors activity (2.3).
ENGAGING KIDS:
3.1 Recreational Activities Coordinator (Dubbo): To identify, publicise and coordinate greater outreach by local clubs and organisations to increase access to their facilities and activities.
3.2 After school/holiday activities: Engaging existing clubs and organisation in support of after school and holiday activities using local facilities including school grounds.
CALLING ON COMMUNITY:
4.1 Communicating through Media: Promoting CfC and the interests of children and family through: CfC Newsletter, radio, television and published media.
4.2 Engaging local Government and Business: Facilitating engagement of local Government and Business towards placing children and families at the centre of their local concern.
4.3 Community Events: Increasing community focus on children and families.
4.4 Discretionary funding pool for small grants: Providing small grants for community initiatives.
Stay tuned and over the next couple of weeks we will be fully updating this site so you can see what we are doing with our new programs.
Our Vision:
One of the largest of 45 Communities for Children Sites across Australia, we are proud of all that we have achieved since we began in 2005.
Our Vision
Our vision is that children and families living in Dubbo, Narromine, Trangie and Wellington will be better connected, supported and celebrated.
As the facilitating Partner, Centacare includes a project team myself, Riki Price as the Project Manager and an Aboriginal Project Officer position we are currently advertising no wto fill. This team oversees the whole initiative and keeps in close contact with each of the Community Partners contracted to provide the activities.
Click on your town in the heading above and have a look at what Communities for Children is doing in your town.