A Strategic Assessment of the Children's Services Industry

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STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT OF THE CHILDREN’S SERVICES INDUSTRYQUEENSLANDIntegrated Service Delivery - Child and Family Support HubsIn Queensland there has been a significant focus on the development of integrated servicesthat deliver a range of early childhood education, child care and family support services tomeet the individual needs of children, families and communities and which promote theefficient and effective use of community infrastructure. Integrated service delivery covers arange of service types including universal, targeted and intensive support services.Child and Family Support Hubs are an innovative model of service delivery that has beensuccessful in delivering integrated services particularly in rural, remote and Indigenouscommunities. In this model, a hub is defined as a multi-functional and highly flexible servicefocussing on activities for families with young children as a universal entry point, withwraparound family support services. The core of the hub is a specific child care service –often a limited hours care service. The hubs may take the form of a ‘one-stop-shop’ or anetwork of integrated services but all respond to the identified and emerging needs of thelocal community.As at 31 December 2007 there are 27 hubs, including six Indigenous hubs established acrossQueensland which deliver a range of child and family support services. In the majority mostof cases, hubs have been established in existing services, with a small number involving theestablishment of a new service, most often in rural and remote areas where child and familysupport services did not previously exist. Hubs operate from a range of premises includingchild care centres, family day care coordination offices, schools, neighbourhood centres, andin a number of cases, purpose built facilities.Rural and Remote Area ServicesThe Queensland Government is committed to the provision of quality children’s servicesthroughout the State. In particular, the Government is actively engaged in providinginnovative early childhood and support services to children and families living in rural,remote and isolated locations within Queensland.A successful Rural Children’s Programme initiative is Frontier Services, which though itsRemote Area Family Service provides a range of practical programmes targeting families andchildren, particularly those under five years of age, through mobile services.The Remote Area Family Service operates across an area of one million square kilometresserving approximately 1500 families with 2500 children on remote rural properties. Themobile child care services provide opportunities for isolated families to receive earlychildhood education and care programmes and to interact through playgroups and parentseducation sessions. Department of Communities funding is used to employ early childhoodstaff and provide resources for young children.Indigenous - Children’s Services Skilling Plan 2006-09The Children’s Services Skilling Plan 2006-09 (Skilling Plan) is a joint initiative of theDepartment of Education, Training and the Arts (DETA) and the Department ofCommunities, formalised by a Memorandum of Understanding signed in October 2006, toassist child care workers to access affordable child care training to meet the qualificationsrequirements of the Child care Act 2002 and support quality child care for Queenslandfamilies.59
STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT OF THE CHILDREN’S SERVICES INDUSTRYThe implementation of the Indigenous Remote Area Strategy (IRAS) is a key component ofthe Skilling Plan and targets the specific children’s services skills development in the Northand Far North Queensland regions for Indigenous remote communities, specifically in theCape/Gulf Peninsular and Torres Strait Islands.The Department of Communities, also provides grants to non-government organisations in theCape/Gulf and Torres Strait, to provide support, coaching and mentoring to participatingstudents aimed at ensuring participation, retention and completion outcomes.Since 2001, approximately 3,875 child care workers have gained children’s servicesqualifications at the Certificate III, Diploma or Advanced Diploma level. This figure includesover 300 students who identify as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander backgroundwith 139 students from remote Indigenous communities.60
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