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SNAICC in the News – Early years services funding model & Connected Beginnings Ballarat

The week of 24 June 2024 media and new stories includes coverage of SNAICC’s Funding Model Options for ACCO Integrated Early Years Services Report and additional coverage on the Connected Beginnings Ballarat site, which was announced last week.

The Funding Model Options for ACCO Integrated Early Years Services Report outlines proposed changes to the early years services funding model, with a focus on how the current funding model does not meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families. SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle describes these services as providing essential cultural connections and support systems in addition to basic childcare. The call for reform of the current funding model for early childhood services seeks to ensure equitable access to early childhood education and support, regardless of parental circumstances, as well as to better sustain critical community services.

Last week, it was announced that Ballarat is the 41st Connected Beginnings site, better supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the Ballarat region in gaining the best start in life. SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle stated that the Ballarat Aboriginal community is very supportive of both Connected Beginnings and Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative for taking on the critical role of driving the program. Connected Beginnings will offer more culturally safe integrated services to Aboriginal children in the Ballarat region, including maternal and child health, early childhood education and care and family support services.

For complete coverage, read the news and media stories linked below.

Topic: Early years services funding model

This week, SNAICC’s Funding Model Options for ACCO Integrated Early Years Services Report, which highlights proposed changes to the early years services funding model, was reported on, with a focus on how the current funding model fails to meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families.  

The article Broader View Key to Child Services by Giovanni Torre, published by The West Australian on Tuesday, 25 June 2024, reported on this in depth. Unfortunately, as it is a print article, we cannot provide a direct link.

The report, commissioned by the Early Childhood Care and Development Policy Partnership and released ahead of a significant Productivity Commission inquiry, emphasises the importance of Aboriginal community-controlled services. SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle describes these services as providing essential cultural connections and support systems beyond basic childcare. The report recommends replacing the current childcare subsidy model with a more sustainable funding approach that is tailored to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services. The current subsidy creates disparities and operational challenges, especially for families in remote areas. The call for reform aims to ensure equitable access to early childhood education and support, regardless of parental circumstances, and to better sustain vital community services.

The Australian reported on [article is behind a paywall] the Centre for Policy Development’s report, Growing Together: A Future Universal Early Childhood Education and Care System for Australia, which advocates for a child-centred funding model, simplified fees and direct government funding to providers. This vision includes supporting children’s development, helping families balance work and home life and investing in Aboriginal community-controlled organisations. The article highlights the widespread difficulties Australian families face in accessing suitable childcare. The challenges are particularly severe for low-income households and those in regional areas, with 35 percent of Australians living in ‘childcare deserts’ and workforce shortages further exacerbating the problem.

Read more about what the activity test means for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and the full article linked below.
The Australian article [please note: paywall]

What does the activity test mean for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families?

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, the Childcare Subsidy activity test represents a systemic barrier to accessing essential early education and childcare services.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families are disproportionately impacted by the activity test due to the unique challenges families often face, including socioeconomic disadvantage, intergenerational trauma and systemic discrimination. The childcare subsidy activity test was introduced by the government in 2018 with the aim to facilitate the re-entry of women into the workforce. However, for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, this policy has had adverse effects, hindering rather than facilitating access to essential education and childcare services. This is because the activity test calculates the number of hours of subsidised childcare a family can access based on the hours parents spend working, looking for work or volunteering. This approach fails to account for the complexities faced by highly vulnerable families. For these families, securing employment or volunteering opportunities can be incredibly challenging, if not impossible.

As a result, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families find themselves unable to access the subsidised childcare that could support their children’s development and enable parents to participate in the workforce or training opportunities.

The activity test exacerbates existing disparities in educational outcomes between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous children. Early childhood education is crucial for laying the foundation for future learning and development, yet the activity test effectively denies many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children the opportunity to access these services. The persistence of the activity test perpetuates a cycle of disadvantage for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, hindering their ability to access the support they need to thrive.

Addressing this issue requires a recognition of the unique circumstances and needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, along with policy changes that prioritise equity and access to education and childcare services for all children, regardless of their background.

Topic: Connected Beginnings Ballarat

Last week, it was announced that Ballarat will be the 41st Connected Beginnings site, which aims to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in gaining the best start in life.

Connected Beginnings aims to improve access to existing early childhood, maternal and child health and family support services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, to ensure they are safe, healthy and ready to thrive at school by the age of five. It was announced last week that the Ballarat and District Aboriginal Co-operative (BADAC) will run the Ballarat Connected Beginnings program, which will draw on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural and educational practices of wrapping around a child to ensure a child’s holistic needs are met and their overall wellbeing is looked after.

SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle said that the Ballarat Aboriginal community is very supportive of both Connected Beginnings and BADAC for taking on the key role of driving the program. Connected Beginnings will provide more Aboriginal children in the Ballarat region with culturally safe integrated services such as maternal and child health, early childhood education and care and family support services. BADAC’s experience delivering early childhood programs and family support services, along with their track record of building strong community networks, provides a solid foundation for developing a program informed by local knowledge.  

For full coverage, view the media stories linked below.

Article: Early childhood support for Ballarat’s First Nations children – The Sector (released 21 June)

Excerpt:

“The Federal Government is supporting the initiative with $1.8 million in funding, with national peak body SNAICC – National Voice for our Children, and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) also providing support. 
Ballarat is one of 50 sites which are outlined as part of the Federal Government’s $81.8 million investment to expand the program.Once all 50 sites are established the program has the potential to support up to 20 per cent of all First Nations children aged zero to five.”

 

Read the full article

Article: Connected Beginnings program expands to Ballarat to ensure young First Nations children are ready for school – NIT (released 21 June)

Excerpt:

“[SNAICC] chief executive Catherine Liddle, said the Ballarat Aboriginal community is very supportive of both the Connected Beginnings and of BADAC for taking on the key role to drive the program.
“BADAC’s experience in delivering early childhood programs and family support services, along with their record in building strong community networks, gives them a strong foundation to build a program informed by local knowledge,” Ms Liddle said.
“Under Connected Beginnings, more Aboriginal children in the Ballarat region will have access to culturally safe integration of services such as maternal and child health, early childhood education and care and family support services.
“They will get the support they need to ensure they have a successful transition to big school.”

 

Read the full article

Article: Early years support for First Nations kids – Ballarat Times (released 28 June)

Excerpt:

“[SNAICC] and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation partner with the Federal Governto deliver Connected Beginnings projects.
“BADAC’s experience in delivering early childhood programs and family support services, along with their record in building strong community networks, gives them a strong foundation to build a program informed by local knowledge,” said SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle.
“Under Connected Beginnings, more Aboriginal children in the Ballarat region will have access to culturally safe integration of services such as maternal and child health, early childhood education and care and family support services.
“They will get the support they need to ensure they have a successful transition to big school.””

 

Read the full article

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