FOREWORD GREATER SHEPPARTON BEST START PROGRAM
GREATER SHEPPARTON COMMUNITIES FOR CHILDREN
The Greater Shepparton Best Start Program has been in operation since 2002, as one of the inaugural five Best Start sites across Victoria. There are now 30 Best Start sites across the state.
The Greater Shepparton Communities for Children program was established in October 2011 with CatholicCare Sandhurst as the Facilitating Partner. This Australian Government initiative aims to improve the health, development and wellbeing of children aged 0-12 and their families by focusing on prevention and early intervention approaches that bring about positive family functioning, safety and child development.
Children are our most valuable asset. They are our future. We as a community need to protect, nurture and support our children to reach their full potential. Best Start is an early years initiative and aims to support families and caregivers to provide the best possible environment, experiences and care for children from birth to age eight. The program has a particular focus on children experiencing vulnerability and all Aboriginal children. How do we know if our children are developing well? How are they faring compared to their other Victorian counterparts? Access to data that measures the health, wellbeing, development and education of our children is critical if we are to invest resources where they are needed most. Best Start has also had a strong commitment to the collection and utilisation of quality data and research. Data provides us with the evidence we need to start discussions, ask difficult questions and evaluate the effectiveness of our collective efforts to support positive change and improve long term outcomes for our children. As the Chair of the Greater Shepparton Best Start Early Years Partnership I am pleased to present the 2019 version of the The State of Greater Shepparton’s Children Report. It is a valuable resource that brings together a range of data to better understand how our children are developing. The opportunity to again partner with Communities for Children and The Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Project to develop this resource has been of immense value. The research is now well acknowledged and clear – investment in early childhood is a necessity, not an option, if we are to build healthy, educated and strong communities. Cr Seema Abdullah Chair, Greater Shepparton Best Start Early Years Partnership Mayor, City of Greater Shepparton
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The Communities for Children mission is to work strategically to improve service accessibility, responsiveness and outcomes for vulnerable and disadvantaged families and children through family centred practice. Greater Shepparton Communities for Children relies on quality evidence to support its decision-making process, to inform activities and funding to ensure the greatest impact can be achieved with the resources available. It focuses on the importance of investing in early childhood development through care, learning opportunities, support and positive experiences. Reliable and relevant data guides the direction of the program and strategic direction. This places emphasis on developing a strong evidence base that informs service delivery, directly linked to the best possible outcomes for children and their families. We work in collaboration with Community Partner organisations to address locally identified needs of children and families across Greater Shepparton. Greater Shepparton Communities for Children is proud to have been involved in the development of the second edition of the State of Greater Shepparton’s Children Report, in collaboration with Best Start and the Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Project. We would also like to extend our thanks to the many services and organisations that contributed towards its publication. Maryanne Stivactas Program Coordinator Greater Shepparton Communities for Children
