News

It takes a community to raise a child

Fri, 11 Sep 2015 08:42:00

Encouraging the community to reconnect with and support families raising young children is one of the ideas behind a new Early Years Hub now open at Mallee District Aboriginal Services in Mildura.

The hub, in Orange Avenue opposite the MDAS Health Clinic, will be the focus for the group of MDAS programs delivering services to families of young children.
Manager of the MDAS Early Years Program Danielle Dougherty said the hub would strengthen efforts to deliver wrap-around services to support families.
“The programs we deliver include midwifery and maternal health, playgroup, pre-school and school-readiness programs as well as intensive support where there are special needs,” Ms Dougherty said.
“Our aim is to have the supports and programs in place to help families know what good parenting looks like, and, more importantly, to be able to develop the skills so they can put the practices into place.”
The hub is now the base for the MDAS Early Years Team, and its award-winning Early Years Program (formerly Bumps to Babes and Beyond) and other programs focussed on the pre-birth to school-age groups.
Ms Dougherty said it was a welcoming, exciting and supportive environment for parents and children, but the Early Years Team was hoping its reach would go beyond young families.
“We work every day with families of young children and there’s no question that it’s a tough job, full of challenges and sometimes parents and carers can feel pretty isolated,” Ms Dougherty said.
“It’s does take a community to raise a child and the work we do every days shows us that how we look out for each other is really important in reducing stress among families and helping to build a better community into the future.”
The Lead Practitioner at the Loddon Mallee Aboriginal Reference Group Kathy Crouch said recent sad events in Mildura pointed to the importance of strengthening and supporting all families of young children.
“Parents can feel under enough pressure, so a supportive community contact can make a difference,” Ms Crouch said.
“Even simple things can help families of young children feel more valued and supported – like when you notice a parent or carer struggling to soothe a child or managing some tricky behaviours, it’s much more helpful to offer a supportive and encouraging glance or interaction rather than one that makes a judgement.
“But by supporting each other, showing respect, curiosity and kindness, we are being role models for our children and their parents, and we’re really sending the message that ‘the community’s in this together',” she said.
“We hope the new hub will be a place where we can keep innovating and developing unique and effective programs that help us do things better as families and as communities into the future.”
The Early Years Hub will be officially opened with a launch celebration at 116 Orange Avenue at 12.30 today.