Brimbank

Children’s Strategy

2020-2024

The Brimbank Children’s Strategy’s 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.

This report card provides our strategy’s outcomes that demonstrates a commitment

to strengthen support for all families during the formative years of their children’s

lives, bolstering parent capacity to be their child’s first and most influential educator.

We’ve worked to ensure that the built and natural environments in Brimbank enable

children to learn, develop, play, connect, feel welcome and safe. We’ve worked with

our partners and services in Brimbank to promote equitable and timely access for

children and families to good quality, integrated services.

EARLY YEARS

Playgroups

;

500+ families with children between 0-4 years were

involved in Playgroups in Brimbank.

;

80+ home coach sessions have been provided.

;

30% of supported playgroups are delivered in

Vietnamese & Burmese.

;

Ongoing promotion of Brimbank playgroups embody

all the elements of social capital: trust, shared

values, common goals and a sense of community.

;

Playgroup Leadership training provided the essential

tools to support playgroups embed their values into

practice.

;

Provided inclusive volunteer family led playgroup

programs to support participation of all family

members and carers.

Early Years - Kindergartens

;

Case studies introduced to capture authentic,

storytelling through the lens of our cultural &

linguistically diverse community to support delivery

of an agile responsive service.

;

Preschool Field Officers and Early Years Outreach

team provide capacity building of early years

educators to create welcoming and inclusive space

and experiences for all families.

;

Early Years promotion at the Brimbank Seniors &

Carers Expo in June 2024.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH

(MCH)

;

Outreach project commenced by Maternal and

Child Health Service to connect and streamline

services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

families in Brimbank.

EARLY YEARS

Kindergartens

;

Offered 17 community sessions in partnership with

libraries, Smalltalk playgroup, Australian Vietnamese

Women’s Association (AVWA) playgroups and

Community Hubs to undertake 2023 Annual

Kindergarten policy review survey.

;

Visited 26 kindergarten services in Brimbank over

the last 12 months.

;

Offered 7 kindergarten Information sessions in

March 2024 connecting with 140 families.

;

Attended events such as Children’s Week Picnic,

Community Hubs 10 year celebration, Homelessness

Week event, Communities for Children Families and

Children’s Expo.

;

Introduced local priority of access for families in the

new Kindergarten Registration Guidelines 2024.

;

Produced Kindergarten Registration video to

create awareness and benefit of free sessional

kindergartens.

;

Collaborated with Social Ventures Australia (SVA) to

participate in Spectrum of Integration Research.

;

Brimbank Melton Early Years Compact worked on

a project to increase kindergarten participation

for Pasifika community. A forum was hosted by

Brimbank in November 2023 inviting stakeholders

and professionals which then led to offering 3

Pasifika Fonos (gatherings) in 2024 engaging

community members to provide insights about

supporting kindergarten participation.

Maternal and Child Health (MCH)

;

Outreach Nurses continue to see families finding

it difficult to attend Universal MCH sites and those

needing increased levels of support.

;

Attendance for opportunistic engagement in MCH at

multiple locations including Sunshine Marketplace,

Brimbank Aquatic and Wellbeing Centre (BAWC),

Building Blocks playgroup, Melbourne City Mission

playgroup, Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency

(VACCA) playgroup.

;

Parenting support groups (INFANT, Sleep and

settling, supported play groups, First Steps new

parent groups) run across multiple locations

including Sunshine, Sydenham, Deer Park, Kings Park

and online.

;

Enhanced Team continues to see vulnerable families

in their home for parenting support.

;

Attended events such as Children’s Week Picnic.

;

Family feedback process embedded into MCH.

Families, including children, have provided

feedback across the span of the MCH service.

Feedback is reported monthly and opportunities for

improvement investigated.

;

Partnered with Murdoch Children’s Research

Institute (MCRI) to recruit Gen V study participants.

;

Partnering with MCRI for study examining impact of

COVID-19 on Families in the West.

EARLY YEARS

;

Facilitated quarterly Educators Network to build

their capacity on topics such as Having difficult

conversations; Play Move and Improve and Family

Violence. We engaged with over 100 educators

through these networks.

;

Targeted approach with Outreach activities and

Best Start project by partnering with agencies such

as Foundation House, VACCA, Victorian Aboriginal

Community Services Association (VACSAL) and The

Smith Family to raise awareness.

;

State funded programs such as Culturally and

Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Outreach, Preschool

Field Officers and Smalltalk programs provide data

and insights into challenges and opportunities which

we have been advocating to our funding body and

working with agencies such as West of Melbourne

Economic Development Alliance (WOMEDA) and

Social Ventures Australia.

;

Co-facilitation of Brimbank Early Years Network

with The Smith Family. Membership has increased

by 20% since the introduction of Network invite

since January 2024, collateral outlining purpose and

objectives with session details and having spotlight

presentations from agencies.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH

;

Additional Breastfeeding support service (drop in)

one day a month leveraging our existing partnership

with Tweddle.

;

New partnership established with Dads Group

to deliver parenting support and connection

opportunities to fathers of Brimbank.

;

Outcomes from MCH families focus group report

identified 12 priorities all endorsed by the Clinical

Governance working group.

EARLY YEARS

;

Annual Children’s Week Event – Teddy Bear Picnic in

the Park in an all-ability park.

;

Engaged with more than 200 families at the Picnic in

the Park event.

CHILD SAFETY AND

WELLBEING

;

Conducted a comprehensive review of Brimbank’s

approach to Child Safety and Wellbeing to explore

opportunities, successes and gaps and to develop an

implementation plan across all of Council.

;

Child Safety and Wellbeing Training provided to 18

on-deck supervisors in June 2024 at BAWC with

a focus specifically on child safety and wellbeing

incidents in aquatic centre scenarios.

9249 4000

info@brimbank.vic.gov.au

PO Box 70, Sunshine, VIC 3020

• TTY dial

133 677

• Speak & Listen

1300 555 727

•

www.relayservice.gov.au

, then enter

03 9249 4000

www.facebook.com/brimbankcouncil

x.com/BrimbankCouncil

www.youtube.com/brimbankcitycouncil

Use Brimby, the online virtual assistant

brimbank.vic.gov.au

160 - 0724