Connections

Connections Overview

At A Village for Every Child, we know that raising a child takes a village, and strong connections are key to making that possible. In our ongoing commitment to Collective Impact, Connections aims to foster collaboration and connections among families, schools, early childhood education and care (ECECs), community organisations, and government agencies to create a supportive network around every child.

Village partner organisations and strategic planning team members highlighted the necessity of creating platforms for families to exchange experiences and advice in a peer-to-peer setting. This highlights the need for improved accessibility to services and information, particularly for those navigating complex systems.

This focus on connections is vital not only for linking families to relevant services but also for enhancing the skills and well-being of professionals, which elevates service quality and support for families. Therefore, we are committed to providing the support structures necessary to bring together families, communities, child and family service providers, and government agencies. Together, we can collaborate to identify and address the issues facing young families and create a better integration among services.

Connections key areas

The following three key connection areas will guide Village’s efforts: 

Family to Family
Family to Services
Services to Services

Scope, Impact & Objectives

*** Please note that the projects outlined here are not intended to be prescriptive giving the Leadership Group and Working Groups capacity to shape and change the focus, steps and direction of projects as per feedback and on the ground learnings and knowledge.

Connections is about making it easier for parents and carers to access the services they need to raise their children in a healthy, supportive environment. By bringing together health, education, and community service providers, we aim to improve how families engage with support services. This includes making services more accessible, reducing barriers, and fostering a more integrated approach to child and family support.

  • In the short term, Connections will contribute to identifying and reducing typical barriers to engagement with services, while also building stronger connections between families, schools, playgroup networks, the community services sector and government agencies.
  • In the medium term, Connections will support in developing a coordinated and collaborative approach to providing service and support program to families
  • In the long term, Connections will develop strategies to improve access to child and family services, helping families feel more connected and supported as they raise their children

  • Improve accessibility and relationships between families, and child and family support services
  • Improve collaboration between services to create a more seamless experience for families
  • Improve relationships between families and schools, so that children and parents feel prepared before formal schooling begins

Through these objectives, we aim to ensure that families have a better understanding of child development and positive parenting practices

What is next?

To advance this focus area, Village will:

  • Share information with existing and potential members to foster deeper connections
  • Consider legacy projects that align with connections focus area
  • Identify service gaps and design, develop, and deploy projects that respond to community needs
  • Offer backbone support through continued communication, mutually reinforcing activities, and methods for measuring success and gathering feedback