Family Support Program

The Family Support Program, funded by the Department of Family and Community Services, Housing and Indigenous Affairs, will build on the successes of the Communities for Children Initiative. The Family Support Program provides an opportunity for Government and the community sector to change the way they work together to deliver high quality, coordinated services that better meet the needs of children and families.

The Family Support Program comprises:

Family and Parenting Services (currently Family Relationship Services): Increasing access to and timely provision of services for families, particularly vulnerable and at risk families, to improve family functioning;

Community and Family Partnerships (currently Children and Parenting Services): Providing intensive and coordinated support for parents and children who are vulnerable, at risk or in disadvantaged communities, to improve child development, child safety and family functioning; and

Family Law Services: Providing assistance to families to manage the process and impacts of separation in the best interests of children.

This strategy supports early intervention and prevention approaches, with a particular emphasis on children aged birth to twelve and resources that can be used to achieve better outcomes for children and their families and to help families and communities deal with issues before they become serious. It recognises that families and communities all have strengths that can be built on to respond to issues and create opportunities.

The key focus of the Strategy is to provide better chances for children and their families, and to build stronger communities that allow these children and their families to flourish and achieve their potential.

Communities for Children

Communities for Children is now part of the new Family Support Program which provides prevention and early intervention programs to families with children up to 12 years, who are at risk of disadvantage and who remain disconnected from childhood services.

Communities for Children works towards ensuring that children have the best possible start in life by focusing on well –targeted early intervention approaches that bring about positive outcomes for young children and their families.

The Communities for Children Initiative in the West Pilbara has been funded until 2012. The Initiative provides funding to develop and implement appropriate services for children and families focusing on four key areas:

• Healthy young families and Early Learning and Care (for example, this includes child and maternal health, early (0-5) and middle years (0-12) and school transition strategies)
• Supporting families and parents (for example, child centred/family focused strategies)
• Child friendly communities (for example, whole of family and inclusive community strategies)
• Family and Children’s Services Working Effectively as a System (for example, strategies to promote integrated or collaborative inter-agency partnerships)

The Facilitating Partner, Regional Development Australia Pilbara (RDA Pilbara) will facilitate, coordinate, manage and evaluate the provision of an integrated set of programs, activities and services to children (0-12 years) and their families in the West Pilbara.

Examples of activities being implemented under CfC are:

• home visiting
• early learning and literacy programs
• early development of social and communication skills
• parenting and family support programs
• child nutrition, and
• community events to celebrate the importance of children, families and the early years.

The Program will work with and support families and nurture children to enable them to better manage life’s transitions and contribute to building stronger, more resilient communities.

If you would like to find out more about the Initiative, click here.