City of Greater Dandenong Child & Family Partnership

Terms of Reference & Community Partner Guide 2015 - 2016

What does the Partnership look like?

Council Plan

Community Wellbeing Plan

Children’s Plan 2015 – 2019 – Child Friendly City Initiative

Children’s Learning Network

New Directions MCH: Cultural Competency Forum and

Professional Development Working Group

Any working groups as required

Child & Family Partnership Child & Family Executive

Partnership Group

Strategic Planning The main influencing documents , evidence sources and data are:

• Principles of a Child Friendly City;

• Children’s Plan 2015 -2018.

• Best Start Action Plan.

• CGD Community Wellbeing Plan 2013 – 2017;

• AEDI Community Profile;

• CGD Libraries Without Borders Literacy framework Strategic Plan;

• CGD Healthy Children’s Initiative Strategic Plan 2013 - 2017;

• Aboriginal Best Start Action Plan;

• DET – Early Years Strategic Plan 2014 – 2020;

• DET – Asylum Seeker & Refugee Learning & Development Plan 2014;

• CGD Cultural Diversity Strategic Plan;

• CGD Asylum Seeker and refugee Communities Action Plan.

Vision:

• To foster a city where families, the community and local services work together, to promote an inclusive and safe environment that

maximises child and family health, wellbeing and learning.

Aim:

• To work collaboratively and to support the development of partnering mechanisms and protocols to achieve planned outcomes of the

Greater Dandenong Children’s Plan and Greater Dandenong Best Start.

Values:

• The Partnership believes all children, parents and communities have strengths, rights and responsibilities. Positive outcomes for

children, young people and their families will be achieved through:

The City of Greater Dandenong becoming and committing to the community as a Child Friendly City. The Children's Plan has

been developed utilising UNICEF's Child Friendly Cities framework and the Victorian Local Government Association Child Friendly

Cities Charter (VLGA).*

Acknowledging the Bunurong and Wurundjeri people as clans of the Kulin Nation, Elders past and present and their ancestors, as

the traditional custodians of the land;

Collaboration and partnerships between universal, secondary and tertiary services;

Genuine engagement and connections with children, young people, families and the community;

Respecting the cultural and language heritage of all children and families in the community;

Effective communication and information sharing;

Recognising the existing strengths, assets and skills of workers in universal, secondary and tertiary services;

Supporting sustainable, evidence- based approaches.

*See Appendices:

Children’s Plan – Key Directions and 10 Priority Actions

• The Child and Family Partnership Executive Group is made up of a mix of government, non-government and community sector organisations that have an interest in the wellbeing and development of children in the City of Greater Dandenong. It may also have private sector organisations as members when such agencies play a significant role in the municipal family and children’s service system .

• The executive group is a sub committee which functions outside of the main partnership group, which has a representation of community partners who have the ability to discuss issues from an strategic perspective.

• The child and family partnership executive group sits within the Child and Family Partnership and is made up of agencies whose primary task or mission is to enhance the wellbeing and development of children. This strategic group could be has likened to an inter-agency leadership and governance group where key players in the Greater Dandenong child and family service system work together to plan and address whole-of-system issues. The executive group leads and nurtures the development of the broader partnership.

• The size of the partnership executive group will be contained to a number that can meet and work effectively without having to break into sub-groups (maximum 10 – 12 members).

• The Child and Family Partnership Executive group membership will be made up of: Greater Dandenong Council: Children’s Services Coordinator x1

Best Start Facilitator x1

Communities for Children : Mission Australia - Managers x 2

DET: [State Government] x 2

DSS: (Federal Government] x 1

Centrelink/DHS : x 1

Children’s & Family Community Health Services: x 1

Adult Services Rep: Mental Health and/or D&A Services x 1

Other key NGOs representatives: x 2

• Total = 12 Members of the child and family partnership executive group will be selected by invitation and the completion of an expression of interest.

Child & Family Partnership Executive Group

Role and responsibility of the partnership executive group

Endorse and approve the development and implementation of strategic action plans - Best Start and support the vision of the Children’s Plan 2014 – 2018.

Report to the wider partnership on the status of Communities for Children, Best Start and the ongoing work being implemented through the Children’s Plan 2014 – 2018.

Identify emerging issues and priorities and raise these issues with the wider partnership group

Make recommendations to the wider partnership about the ongoing development and implementation of Best Start and Children’s Plan 2014 – 2018.

Coordinate an annual review of the child and family partnership and executive partnership groups.

Key Facilitating Program

City of Greater Dandenong Best Start

• The vision of Best Start in the City of Greater Dandenong is to improve the life chances of all children aged 0 – 8 years by strengthening the access and usage of universal services for children and their parents/carers.**

• Best Start is a Victorian government early years initiative. It supports families, caregivers and communities to provide the best possible environment, experiences and care for young children in the important years from pregnancy to school. Best Start, funded by the Department of Education and Training (DET), aims to improve the health, development, learning and wellbeing of all Victorian children (0-8 years). It supports communities, parents and service providers to improve universal early years services so they are responsive to local needs. It has a strong emphasis on prevention and early intervention.

• “The Best Start approach is to strengthen the local capacity of parents, families and communities and early years services to better provide for the needs of all young children and their families.”

• **See Appendices:

• Best Start Key Indicators

Child & Family Partnership Membership Community Partner Members

The partnership aims to acknowledge the following:

Be inclusive of family and children’s service providers and parent representatives;

Develop membership processes which reflect the principles of inclusiveness and participation, and community leadership;

There will be no membership joining fees for organizations participating in the partnership.

Membership of the child and family partnership will be reviewed annually.

Members should have a mix of skills and expertise, such as:

Child development including learning, literacy and numeracy;

Parent and family support, and family relationships;

Child and family welfare;

Health and well-being, especially around ante and post natal, the early childhood years and young people;

Community development; and

Evaluation, performance management and research.

State and Federal Government policy in child and family services

Services that support CALD families, asylum seekers, refugees and community detention children and families.

• The size of the child and family partnership will be determined by the wider partnership group but should be manageable whilst reflecting a balance of stakeholders and securing community engagement.

• The wider partnership should also reflect the characteristics and demographics of the City of Greater Dandenong and give particular consideration to strategies or alternative mechanisms to engage representation and/or participation by indigenous people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities (CALD) or others who do not readily participate in formal committees.

• Alternative mechanisms may include working groups, sub-committees, community forums and events.

The Child and Family Partnership group will have responsibility to support and contribute to the ***vision of the City of Greater Dandenong Children’s Plan and Best Start Action Plan.

This includes responsibility to:

Endorse and approve the development and implementation of Action Plans;

Develop and support any relevant working groups who use the partnership as a reference group;

Coordinate the resolution of any disputes between the parties to this Agreement;

Require that partners be aware of, and not act in, any conflict of interest and act honestly and in good faith;

Coordinate ongoing evaluation of the activities of the child and family partnership;

Actively participate in and contribute to the activities of the child and family partnership;

Undertake their fair share of tasks to achieve agreed child and family partnership goals and to be accountable to the membership for task completion;

Collaborate with all partners to achieve agreed outcomes;

Enter into meaningful discussions with the child and family partnership to facilitate the implementation of agreed service development and planning processes.

Members of the child and family partnership who are representing an organisation or group will:

Have the authority to speak on behalf of their organisation with respect to the child and family partnership.

Have delegated authority to influence decision-making in their own organisations, with respect to the child and family partnership.

Take responsibility for informing other staff in their organisation/group about the child and family partnership; and

Be informed about their organisation/group and its activities and be able to inform the child and family partnership of this.

• See Appendices:

• ***Vision for a Child Friendly City

Roles & Responsibilities

Meetings will be held at a minimum on a bi monthly basis to receive project reports and participate in information exchange between community forums, activities and partnerships.

One half of the membership plus one will form a quorum for the meeting.

Each member is accorded one vote and a majority will constitute the decision. Matters shall be decided by a show of hands unless a majority of members present at the meeting request a secret ballot.

Unless otherwise nominated, a senior manager of each partnership agency shall be the voting representative. Voting will only be allowed if represented at the relevant meeting. Votes will not be allowed if absent or by proxy. Members will support achievement of the Best Start Action Plan and the Greater Dandenong Children’s Plan, through participation in project teams or group activities established to implement specific components of the plan.

The Partnership will have a strategic role in the development and maintenance of all Project plans.

Core memberships of the child and family partnership must include the organisations for whom the wider partnership has a role in project governance,

e.g City of Greater Dandenong , and should where possible include representation from:

Parents

Non-government service providers related to childhood and community development

Non-government service providers related to the CALD community

Agencies related to community health

Agencies related to disabilities

Services that support families of CALD background

Early childhood/family experts and/or people with community development expertise

City of Greater Dandenong (Representatives from Early Years, Maternal and Child Health, Kindergarten and Childcare, Playgroups, Family Day Care, Healthy Together Initiative and CGD Libraries)

Department of Education and Training (DET)

Department of Human Services

Department of Social Services

City of Greater Dandenong Council Representatives who can contribute to the partnerships work under the Community Wellbeing Plan and where this work has relevance to meeting the needs of children and their families.

Participation

• Members of the child and family partnership from any level of government may be involved in an advisory capacity only, providing support of the committee and promoting cross government links.

• They will not take part in voting or formal decision-making.

• The intention is that government representation can contribute to discussion, bring relevant information and views to the table, including putting forward a case for a particular intervention or strategy.

For further information:

Child & Family Partnership

Contact Best Start Community Facilitator

Ph: 8571 1839

Email: cmirat@cgd.vic.gov.au

Children’s Plan and Child Friendly City

Contact Children’s Services Development Officer

Ph: 8571 5139

Email: kirsty.saunders@cgd.vic.gov.au

Participation

Appendices:

*Children’s Plan – Key Directions & 10 Priority Actions

Appendices:

*Children’s Plan – Key Directions & 10 Priority Actions

Appendices:

** Best Start Key Indicators • Increased participation in kindergarten with the focus being vulnerable children; • Increased attendance at Maternal and Child Health.

***Vision for a Child Friendly City OUR VISION FOR CHILDREN: A CHILD FRIENDLY CITY COUNCIL’S VISION FOR CHILDREN The City of Greater Dandenong is a Child Friendly City, in which all children are valued, respected and celebrated. Children are given opportunities to learn and develop their potential. Families, services and the broader community work together to ensure children are safe at all times and have access to services. Children have access to environments and services to improve their health and wellbeing. Children have opportunities to connect with other children, to their family, to their community and to the environment they live in. Children’s voices are heard through consultation in planning and implementation of programs.