Brimbank

Children’s Strategy

The Brimbank Children’s Strategy 2020-2024 serves as a roadmap for creating

environments—both built and natural—that supports children in learning, developing,

playing, connecting, and feeling secure and welcomed. The overarching goal is to

create a thriving community where children’s rights are respected and supported and

where they can grow into capable and healthy individuals.

The commitment to enhance outcomes for families and children is achieved through

collaboration with the community, service providers, schools, early years programs, and

local businesses

EARLY YEARS

Sessional Kindergarten

;

2904 places accepted in sessional Kindergarten

(year prior to school).

Early Start Kindergarten (ESK)

;

In 2023, 171 Early Start Kindergarten registrations

were processed. These included 50 Child Protection

children, 114 Refugee/Asylum Seeker children and

seven Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

;

Early Years Engagement Officer and Culturally and

Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Outreach Officer visited

13 Kindergartens to provide information on their role

to the Educational Leaders at the kindergartens.

;

Supported over 50 vulnerable children re-engaging

with kindergarten programs.

;

Community outreach to promote kindergarten

registrations and enrolments at the following

community events:

- Tamil Family Festival in January

- Vietnamese Lunar New Year St Albans

- Reconciliation Week at the Brimbank Aquatic and

Wellness Centre & Sunshine Leisure Centre

;

During Kinder Readiness month in March, visits

were made to five library story-times and two

Neighbourhood Houses with two online information

sessions held.

PLAYGROUPS

Supported Playgroups

;

To enhance parenting skills and confidence in

supporting child wellbeing and development, 636

Smalltalk-supported playgroup sessions were held,

involving 346 parents and 424 children.

;

314 home visits were delivered, with 119

Vietnamese and Burmese parents participating in

group and home coaching programs.

;

Shopping Centre Pop up Playgroups operated during

school term times by Council Playgroup staff.

Volunteer Community Playgroups

;

100 volunteer parents formed their own playgroups

in Council venues.

;

Playgroup Leadership Training is delivered quarterly.

Children’s Week

;

Children’s Week annual ‘Playgroups Teddy

Bear Picnic in the Park’ was held in Sunshine

at Sunvale Community Park. Over 150 families

attended the event.

PLAYGROUPS

First Steps New Parent Groups

;

The First Steps New Parent Group partnership with

Early Years Community Programs and Maternal and

Child Health (MCH) hosted English, Vietnamese

and Burmese for 477 first-time parents. Eighty

seven Vietnamese and Burmese first time parents

attended the sessions.

;

Council’s Parent Support Facilitators conduct

First Steps New Parent Group and Smalltalk

sessions in multiple languages, such as English,

Vietnamese, Burmese, Chin, Arabic, Dinka,

Mandarin, and Cantonese.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH

(MCH)

;

Continue to provide outreach and engagement

services at Community Day events through the

mobile outreach ‘Bear Bus’ program.

;

Providing outreach program to families within

Brimbank both in client’s home and at MCH centres.

;

Offered weekly parenting support through the

Stepping Stones playgroup at various locations

including local parks and the Sunshine MCH Centre.

;

Delivered two Circle of Security Parent

Education Programs in conjunction with

Melbourne City Mission.

;

Developing the INfant Feeding, Active play

and NuTrition (INFANT) program with Deakin

University designed to help parents and families

with healthy eating and active play from the

start of their baby’s life.

;

Implementing the Brimbank MCH Clinical Governance

Framework to guide and assist delivering safe, high

quality care to children and families.

;

Between March to May 2023, MCH had the following

monthly averages:

- 1,394 incoming calls and 1,131 outgoing calls

linking families to MCH services including 1,422

key age and stage visits.

- 190 birth notices per month leading to 69 first

time parent groups being held.

EARLY YEARS

;

Co-facilitated four Brimbank Early Years Network

meetings with The Smith Family Communities

for Children.

;

Established the Brimbank Central Registration and

Enrolment Scheme (CRES) Partnership Group made

up of local kindergarten providers to coordinate the

smooth registration and enrolment of children into

kindergarten following the Best Start, Best Life

Victorian government reforms.

;

Participated in the Brimbank/Melton Early Start

Kindergarten and Out-of-Home-Care Working Group.

;

Continue to facilitate the Brimbank Best Start

Governance Group to oversee the delivery of the

Best Start, Best Life program.

;

Developed ‘Plan-Do-Study-Act’ cycles through

Best Start to test ideas and if necessary modify

approaches to engage vulnerable children and

families into kindergarten.

;

Continued extensions of Department of Education

and Training Victoria (DET) and Culturally and

Linguistically Diverse Communities (CALD) Outreach

Engagement Officer funding due to the success of

the program in supporting families.

;

Participated in in the DET facilitated Derrimut

Communities of Practice network, linking services and

partners to improve outcomes for Derrimut children

and families.

;

Participated in the re-development of the ‘Engaging

Children in Decision Making Guide’, alongside

other western region Councils. The guide was first

published in 2013 as a partnership project by Melton,

Brimbank, Wyndham, Maribyrnong and Ballarat

City Councils. The guide is a practical resource for

all professionals and organisations that affirms the

importance of including the voices of children in

the planning, design and evaluation of strategies,

environments, and programs.

;

Combining to one bullet point - The Early Years

Engagement Officer and CALD Outreach Officer

developed partnerships with Foundation House,

Orange Door, Look Out, Koorie Homework Club and

IPC Health.

PLAYGROUPS

;

Partnerships established with Playgroup Victoria,

Drummond Street Services, Melbourne City Mission,

Brave Foundation, Extended Families & IPC Health.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH

(MCH)

;

MCH continue to manage referral pathways for

families through the following partnerships:

- Tweddle & Family Health Service for

breastfeeding support services.

- Brimbank – Melton Child First Alliance

- Royal Children’s Hospital Bubs in Mind Project.

;

Showcased the Brimbank Early Years Bear Bus

Outreach Program during COVID 19 at the 2022

National Maternal, Child and Family Health Nurses

Australia Conference in Canberra.

;

Delivered the Brimbank Early Years Bear Bus

Outreach Program during COVID presentation at the

2022 Municipal Association of Victoria Maternal and

Child Health Conference.

CHILD SAFETY AND

WELLBEING

;

Endorsed the Child Safety and Wellbeing Being

Policy and Procedures to guide Council’s commitment

to safeguarding children and young people in both

physical and online environments.

;

Delivered Child Safety and Wellbeing training to

24 volunteers to include the updated 11 Child

Safe Standards.

EARLY YEARS

;

Individual Kindergartens and Child Care Centres

engaged with Council’s Environment team to

build their knowledge and practices regarding

sustainability and their natural environment.

9249 4000

info@brimbank.vic.gov.au

PO Box 70, Sunshine, VIC 3020

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133 677

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03 9249 4000

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