Early Years Network

Robinvale District Health Services was the facilitator of two children’s projects during the 2008-2009 financial year. Best start, a state government initiative, and Communities for Children, a federal government initiative. Projects initiated during the year were:

• Playgroup and parent support program for families from diverse cultural backgrounds established
• Mobile Visiting Play Program that supports isolated families and links them with services and the community established and facilitated by RDHS
• Oral language support provided at the Murray Valley Aboriginal Kindergarten and Robinvale Consolidated School using the RDHs ‘Oral Language Kit’
• Two Triple P (Positive Parenting) programs run during the year
• Program developed to encourage fathers in Robinvale to focus on positive family relationships
• Facilitation workshops held to upskill local people to work in the early years sector

The early year’s sector in Robinvale is comprehensive and dynamic and on a regular basis the program interacts with over 100 children and supports over 50 families. We are at a crossroads now where in order to attract the funding required to continue this valuable work we need to become more strategic. This meant that RDHS and the Robinvale community needed to have a coordinated plan defining where the community is heading in relation to improving outcomes for children and families. The development of the Robinvale Early Years Network is the first step towards the creation of this plan.

Research has identified a number of population level reasons why all communities need to change the way they are doing things for children and families:

• There have been major international and local social and economic changes
• Families and family circumstances have changed
• Service delivery is struggling to meet the needs of children and families
• Children are experiencing worsening developmental outcomes
• We know more about factors affecting child development and family functioning
• There is evidence that tells us that early intervention is cost effective and has results

Research also suggests that this change should take the form of:

• More supportive communities
• Better coordinated services
• Better communication between communities and services

By creating an Early Years Network Robinvale will be more supportive for families, early years services will be more connected with active linkages in place, and the community will have more opportunity to communicate their needs to services and influence the way services address those needs. RDHS will continue to place significant emphasis on seeking funding to develop the network and early years services.