Released 25/07/2017
This morning I was delighted to attend the Growing Healthy Families Family Fun Day with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and children at Tuggeranong Town Park.
The Growing Healthy Families Program provides a range of events, groups, services and programs for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. The Growing Healthy Families model supports and links Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families to services within their local communities and the Child and Family Centres. It draws its ideas for programs and support services from families themselves, with a focus on wellbeing, connection and culture.
The initiative has delivered positive outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families since 2008 at the West Belconnen Child and Family Centre, providing culturally specific and safe services that focus on parents’ strengths, health, education, parenting and family support.
In 2015-16 the ACT Government expanded the Program to be delivered across all three Child and Family Centres - Gungahlin, West Belconnen and Tuggeranong. This expansion has enabled greater support to Canberra’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
Growing Healthy Families has delivered real outcomes for the community. An example has been the linking of our Koori Preschools with local education and other services such as libraries where children and their families can experience the great services and resources available. For school age children the Boomerang Group at the Palmerston School allows children to bring a friend to share in cultural-based activities and provides homework support for kids.
As well as families participating in a range of cultural events such as NAIDOC Week, localised programs are developed in response to local community feedback. An example of this in the Tuggeranong community has been the Little Deadlies dance and movement group. A collaboration between The Smith Family, Tuggeranong Arts Centre and Growing Healthy Families, this activity for children under the age of 5 and takes place weekly at the Tuggeranong Arts Centre and is facilitated by a dance instructor.
The Child and Family Centres will continue to support and link children and their families with services during 2017 in collaboration with government and community partners. Already this year we’ve had a great response to our January Kids and Families program that welcomes children and their families into the Child and Family Centres for free events and activities. We’ve had really positive feedback from children, parents and carers on this initiative, and it’s something we’ll look to build on into the future.
For more information visit the Community Service website.
- Statement ends -
Rachel Stephen-Smith, MLA | Media Releases