EARLY YEARS’ FORUM (on-going)
The Central Goldfields Early Years Forum is a Community of Practice for professionals with an interest in the early years education and care in the Central Goldfields Shire. The Forum meets in person (or online – when Covid restrictions are in place). It also provides an opportunity for informal networking, information sharing and professional development. Any requests or ideas for topics to be covered at future forums can be provided through to Go Goldfields.
Past workshops include; Speech and Language: Early intervention before school with MDHS Speech Pathologists providing information to support Phonological Awareness; the Curator and Education Officer at Central Goldfields Art Gallery providing information about the 12-month creative program in collaboration with educators from the Goldfields Family Centre Kindergarten; Roles and resources for the embedding of aboriginal perspectives into services with the Bendigo and District Aboriginal Cooperative (BDAC) and the Koorie Education Support Officer (DET), and; Workshops about preparations for transitions from kindergarten to school. Leadership is provided by the Forum Committee members and Go Goldfields. Please email Go Goldfields Manager Carolyn Bartholomeusz for further information: Carolyn.Bartholomeusz@cgoldshire.vic.gov.au
EARLY YEARS’ EXPO (on-going)
STAY TUNED FOR AN EXCITING NEW FAMILY CENTRE COMMUNITY EVENT!
The Early Years Expo held annually brings Early Years Services and organisations together to showcase activities and resources within the community, and to provide free resources and hosted activities to over 100 children and their families.
This project connects to the Every Child, Every Chance Priority Area: Confident & Connected New Parents.
GO GOLDFIELDS HQ! (2021 on-going)
Go Goldfields has a new HQ in Maryborough, Victoria. We have created two distinct spaces for community-led collaboration and innovation.
The first is an Engagement and Collaboration space to enable our partners and critical friends to collocate, codesign and innovate with us. This space is open to the public so our community can engage and contribute to our work. This new space will allows us to host forums and events to enhance knowledge sharing across our partners and the community.
The second is a new Nurturing and Learning space. This area is furnished to create a relaxed atmosphere and be available for peer learning and development programs and networks including ‘The Nest’. This space also has two private consulting rooms that are available to visiting professionals and practitioners who are looking for an accessible and welcoming space to meet with children and their families.
Visit us or contact to book a space for your ‘work with synergies’ event.
Open Tuesday – Thursday 10am – 3pm.
Located at the corner of Alma and Nolan Street, Maryborough, Vic.
THE NEST – PARENTS GROUP (on-going)
MDHS Best Start and partners relaunched The Nest in it’s new location at the Go Goldfields HQ, in the Nurture & Learning Space – open every Wednesdays 10am – 1pm. All pregnant and parenting families are welcome. The Nest is:
– A place to change and feed your baby/child in a space space
– Enjoy a break, have a cuppa and a snack while your children play
– Meet other parents and socialise
– Find information about local parent and child services.
– Come on in and explore this warm and welcoming community space.
Social connection opportunities are encouraged for fathers, pregnant women and parents with babies in their first year. The results of the surveys in the Shire highlight the importance of new parents groups that facilitate parents to meet and connect with each other and the importance of this social connection being facilitated. Parents made this very clear, that it doesn’t just happen, that help to form friendships with other parents who have similar age children is more important than being provided with clinical information.
Follow the Best Start page for updates and further information: click here
This project connects to our Every Child, Every Chance Priority Area: Confident & Connected New Parents
ABORIGINAL & TORRES STRAIT ISLAND CHILDREN’S DAY (on-going)
This annual free family and community event is usually held in August at the Maryborough Community Hub. Cultural activities including singing in Dja Dja Wurrung language, community weaving, clap sticks, Ochre painting, and sharing of traditional bush foods. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island stories entertained children and traditional Possum Skin Cloaks were on display yielding rich learning experiences for all. Early Years Services across the shire participate, providing an important opportunity for services, organisations and our children to increase their understanding of Aboriginal culture. Partners included; Anglicare Victoria, Best Start, Connecting Country, Vic Police, NDIS Intereach, Go Goldfields, and Central Goldfields Shire Council.
SOLUTIONS STUDY – BARRIERS & FACILITATORS TO PARTICIPATION (2019 – 2020)
Our research partners at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute is providing additional support and expertise the Central Goldfields Children and Families Partnership with a RTO complimentary ‘solutions’ study to understand the barriers and facilitators to participation in antenatal care, early childhood education and care and parenting programs for vulnerable families within our community.
The study supports work currently underway in the Children and Families space around the social connection of our families, particularly those in antenatal and the first year after birth.
RESTACKING THE ODDS (2019 – 2020)
Our Children and Families Partnership has assisted the Centre for Community Child Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) with data collection across five early childhood areas including; Antenatal, Enhanced maternal and child health, Early childhood education and care, Parenting programs, and the Early years of primary school.
This work is part of the nation-wide ‘Restacking the Odds’ initiative aimed at improving outcomes for disadvantaged children in Australia by reducing developmental inequities to enable them to reach their potential. Central Goldfields Shire is one of ten sites across Australia participating in the work. The findings of the study will provide local evidence and base-line data to the partnership highlighting priority areas for our work. Participation in this initiative will assist us to strengthen our strategies to improve outcomes for children and families in the Shire.
Our community is highly valued because of the level of trust between our collaborators and the Institute, our dedicated engagement with data and evidence-driven work, and on-going capacity building of our agents of change.
Lead researcher Dr. Carly Molloy visited Maryborough in April with members of her Research Team to deliver a presentation about ‘Restacking the Odds.’ A further Participation Study was also conducted in our Shire as a complementary study to the core ‘Restacking the Odds’ study. More than 15 local representatives from antenatal, maternal and child health, child care, kindergartens, and schools were in attendance and provided valuable input on areas including – parent support, home nurse visits, early childhood education, and care, and school-based early intervention.
We continue to work together to take steps to address the primary issues and to establish an actionable, evidence-based benchmark framework so that that together we can improve outcomes for our most vulnerable children.
“WE ARE VERY THANKFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH GO GOLDFIELDS BECAUSE THIS GROUP IS ALREADY WORKING COLLECTIVELY TO CREATE CHANGE WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITY FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES…WE HOPE THAT THE INFORMATION THAT WE CAN PROVIDE IS COMPLEMENTARY TO THE WORK THAT BEGAN YEARS AGO.”
~ Dr. Carly Molloy – Senior Research Officer and Project Manager, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, ‘Restacking the Odds’ initiative.
PROGRESS & EQUITY EVENT – INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY (2020)
Our International Women’s Day (IWD) Progress and Equity partnership event held Tuesday 10th March was a great success, full of celebration and reflection, with just over 100 people in attendance. Guests and participants enjoyed inspiring words from our guest speaker, Leigh Woodgate. Zonta Club of Central Goldfields Bronwen Haywood, presented the 2020 Study recipients, and two young local women shared their Letters to the Past and Future as an extension of the Go Goldfields young women in letters project.
A panel of community representatives including Belinda McKnight, David Sutton, and Samatha Rothman reflected on gender equity. Lucy Roffey, Central Goldfield’s Shire Council CEO officially launched the Shire’s new Gender Equity Statement and showed a short film with highlights from the Changing our Story project so far plus the community-led 16 Days 2019 program. Discussion and networking followed with supper being served after the stage program and our community gave thanks for another meaningful collaboration between Council and the Shire’s dedicated social change community networks.
JUSTICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY (2019)
The Family Safety Justice and Accountability group led by the Loddon Campaspe Community Legal Centre established the Maryborough Community Legal Service (a free legal advice service) in Maryborough to provide legal advice for people experiencing Family Violence, Family Law or Child Protection legal problems. It also offers ‘Legal Health Check’ sessions to organisations, to fully understand the services we can offer. We held three towards the end of 2019 and will be in touch with other organisations with offers. There is a strong sense that the service is becoming more widely known and that this is enhanced by being co-located at MDHS. The ‘Tipping The Scales’ program finishes up at the end of March 2020, Clear Horizon has been engaged to undertake a final evaluation in early 2020. The ‘Therapeutic Justice Program’ (in collaboration with Maryborough District Health Service) that places a Social Worker in the Court context and a Lawyer in the hospital context to provide social supports to clients with complex socio-legal needs will continue into 2020.
“Child protection, to me, means standing up and intervening to ensure the fundamental care and human rights of our community’s most vulnerable people are being respected and enacted.
I believe that this is the most basic and important role bestowed on police, and I personally find it incredibly rewarding.”
Leading Sargent Peter Bullock, Central Goldfields Proactive Policing Unit
AUSTRALIAN LITERACY AND NUMERACY FOUNDATION – COMMUNITY TRAINING (2018)
In 2018, we supported training in Early Language and Literacy as part of an important delivery partnership with the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation.
“98% of children participating in the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation program improved their phonemic awareness.” – Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation
This initiative enabled vital skills enhancement within our community, to deliver foundational language and literacy development to children. Over 90 educators, parents and community members have successfully completed the course.
“I’ve learned more from this course about children’s literacy than I learned in my entire education degree.” – Course participant, Primary school teacher
“Just having this program available for our staff, has made a huge difference for our kids.” – Course Advocate, Primary school Principal.
The sustained presence of training by the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation is resulting in outstanding outcomes for children. The success of the program has led to the expansion of the Beckworth Special Needs Campus at the Maryborough Education Centre, the Supported Playgroup and Maryborough Regional Library.
We are proud of our achievements to build the shared aspirations for early language development in the Central Goldfields community and have committed to continuing our support of the Australian Literacy & Numeracy Foundation.
Goldfields Schools Cluster is currently developing a community-wide response to increasing school attendance rates. The group is actively seeking funding to progress work to develop a marketing and communications strategy incorporating key messages for consistent delivery across the whole of the community.
A component of the work will involve interviews with teachers, parents and community members, providing the Goldfields Schools Cluster with a clear understanding of the challenges and barriers facing parents and students, preventing good attendance practices.
This project connects to the Every Child, Every Chance Priority Area: Valued Early Years Education & Care.
16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM (2018 – 2020)
16 Days of Activism is a campaign to end violence against women and girls around the world. Led by the Go Goldfields Family Violence Action Group, it is part of an international campaign coordinated by the Centre for Women’s Global Leadership. It takes place every year and is run by over 6,000 organisations in 187 countries.
Community events in Maryborough actively engaged the community in conversations about the role of gender equality in addressing violence against women. Understanding the role of gender equality is an essential pillar of the Go Goldfields Family Violence Action Plan.
Community members showed their support by celebrating the Marigold Story Seat launch and ‘walking-the-walk’, a community walk around Phillips Gardens to view the shire’s Marigold and White Ribbon gardens, as well as the Marigold Seat, which Central Goldfields Shire chief administrator Noel Harvey said got people talking.
Hosted at the Maryborough Resource Centre, messages of support and hope for people dealing with family violence were displayed, as well as the ‘Little People, Big Voices’ project. Children decorated little bears to represent their rights and agency and to highlight that children are often the silent victims of family violence.
“Children’s experiences need to be seen, and their voices heard and listened to.” – Robyn Trainor, Centre for Non-Violence.
Go Goldfields Family Violence Action Group will continue to bring together the community to deliver campaigns raising awareness of the role of gender equality in addressing violence against women.
LITERACY CONSULTATION AND STRATEGY (2018)
In preparing for a Shire-wide literacy strategy, 255 interviews were held in 2018 to contribute to the Central Goldfields Literacy Strategy Consultation. These interviews were held in schools, libraries, street curbs, and kitchen tables. Our vision is that everyone gains high-level language and literacy skills. When a community achieves these skills, opportunities abound and collective impact strengthens. The Central Goldfields Literacy Strategy will be launched in 2019.
“Arts and literacy initiatives are a part of the innovative approach to addressing issues across each focus work area.” – Sandra Hamilton, (previous) Manager Social Inclusion Go Goldfields
SHORT FLIX PROJECT & FESTIVAL (2018)
The Short Flix Festival, funded and coordinated by Go Goldfields, was an intensive four-month creative film making experience undertaken by ten young people in Central Goldfields Shire in 2018.
Working under the expert guidance and mentorship of professional filmmakers, young people created their own short films. Nine short films were presented at a gala red carpet event.
Although short, the films relied on the ability of the young people to realise a vision and get locals as well as family and friends on board with their project. This included cast, supplied materials and costumes, transport, storage, and all the behind-the-scenes support that is needed to create a film.
Short Flix successfully delivered mentoring based learning, instilled self-directed work planning, and encouraged young people to take up leadership roles. Several program participants have also been inspired to pursue careers in the creative industries.
The Short Flix project engaged 10 local young people and resulted in 370 people attending film showings over 3 days, with 40+ young people and community members involved in making and presenting the films.
TEDDY BEARS’ PICNIC (2018 – 2019)
National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) week provided an opportunity for ‘Hugs and Cuddles’ our message bears to continue their work spreading the word ‘All children deserve to be Loved and Safe’. The event was held during September 2018.
In recognition of the importance of NAPCAN week, Children and their families gathered together at the Station Domain Playground for a Teddy Bears’ picnic celebrating positive family relationships and connections with others. Over 100 children and their parents enjoyed the activity, which showcased to parents how stress-free it can be to come together when using existing infrastructure.
BERRY STREET TRAINING (2017 – 2018)
Professional learning with the Berry Street Institute in April and June of 2018 provided 30 community members and professionals opportunity to better understand and cater for trauma-affected children and families. The training was provided over four days. Attendees were provided with a suite of resources to be used across a number of scenarios. Participants have since reported the training has influenced their personal practice when working with children, youth and adults.
Maryborough Education Centre highlighted the need for educators to understand the impact of trauma on children and as such led the way with providing training to over 170 Educators throughout 2017.
LOVED AND SAFE – 30 DAY CAMPAIGN (2017)
In November 2017, the Children and Families partnership led a community-wide awareness campaign about the importance of all children feeling loved and safe. The campaign involved spreading a new loved and safe message every day during the month of November, using our message bears – Hugs and Cuddles. Hugs and Cuddles provided families with ideas about enjoying time with their children.
Messaging was based on ARACY’s Nest Agenda, ‘being loved and safe embraces positive family relationships and connections with others, along with personal and community safety’.
Planning for the campaign commenced in June 2017 with a small working group with representatives from Maryborough Education Centre, Salvation Army, Maryborough District Health Service and Facilitators from Best Start and Go Goldfields.
Building the capacity of the broader group of professionals and not only those in a classroom setting has strengthened the understanding of the need to target and support prevention strategies across the community, in particular Family Violence.
