Child Aware Local Initiative wins award

Child Aware Local Initiative, South Tuggeranong, wins Outstanding Achievement Award in the ACT Children’s Week Awards.

Background

The Child Aware Local Initiative (CALI) is a capacity building initiative which supports communities to undertake early intervention and prevention activities which contribute to keeping children safe and well.

The Tuggeranong Region of the ACT has identified pockets of disadvantage. It also has the highest percentage of children who are vulnerable in one or more domains as assessed through the 2012 Australian Early Development Index.

CALI South Tuggeranong is a collaboration involving YWCA ACT, The Smith Family, Police Citizens Youth Club, Tuggeranong Child and Family Centre and the ACT Education Directorate with the support of Families Australia. It commenced in October 2014 with three broad aims:

1. A reduction in the number of reports to the Care and Protection Service
2. Improved communications and collaboration between services in South Tuggeranong
3. Increased support for vulnerable and hard to reach families

Outstanding achievements so far include:

1. A supported playgroup aimed at oral language and pre-literacy skills for preschool aged children (aged 2-4) and comprehension skills for children aged 0-4
2. Co-location of a Smith Family worker in Theodore primary school which resulted in 20 families accessing the Smith Family Learning for Life program and linking families to other programs at Tuggeranong Child and Family Centre.
3. Working with the Education Directorate’s Student Engagement Team to simplify the pre-school enrolment fact sheet, applicable across the whole of the ACT.

Existing resources and networks within the community were utilised. No additional funds were provided under a Commonwealth or ACT Government program other than a small quantum of discretionary funds made available by Families Australia.