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development, as well as helping to strengthen
children’s cultural identity and connection.
The research also enabled SNAICC to create a
‘Good Practice Profile’ for each of the services
interviewed, as well as an accompanying series
of fact sheets on promoting, exploring and
celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander cultures when implementing the
principles and practices of the Early Years
Learning Framework.
The resources are primarily for educators in
community-controlled services and in mainstream
services that serve Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander children, but can be used more
broadly to increase understanding of the importance
of culture and inclusion within early
childhood education and care services.
This year, SNAICC worked hard to inform and
support the establishment of the 38 new
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Children and Family Centres across
Australia.
Funded under the Council of Australian
Governments’ National Partnership Agreement,
the centres — five of which are operating and
the rest expected to do so by 2014 — will play
a crucial role in delivering effective integrated
services to our children and families.
A policy paper was developed exploring the
elements of integrated services necessary to
meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander children and families.
While SNAICC has supported the drive for
service integration, there has been little Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander perspective
on integrated service delivery models and the
extent to which they respond to the needs of
our children and families.
Integrated services play an important role in
ensuring vulnerable families are reached and
in changing the focus towards early intervention
to support families and protect children.
The paper identified and addressed four critical
areas:
• an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
community strengths-based approach
• genuine partnerships with Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander organisations and
communities
• targeting services to promote access for,
and engagement of, Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander children and families, and
• sustainable service delivery that achieves
long-term outcomes for Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander children, families and
communities.
Children play at the Bubup Wilam for Early Learning Aboriginal Children and Family Centre at Thomastown, Victoria. Bubup Wilam is
one of 38 new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and family centres that will be set up across Australia by 2014.
SNAICC Annual Report 2012 27