13. ACT Playgroups Association Incorporated
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| Please provide a brief summary of your suggestion. | As per the attached submission, ACT Playgroups would like the ACT Government to consider the following four recommendations for inclusion in the 2018-19 Territory Budget: 1. ACT Playgroups asks the ACT Government to affirm their support for the values and outcomes of community playgroups and to pledge to help support and maintain this valuable (and uniquely Australian) community, early childhood and parenting resource. 2. ACT Playgroups would like to request increased and ongoing funding for the Paint and Playgroup program and also to extend an invitation to any ACT Government MLA to attend and participate in these sessions and hear from the parents/carers themselves, just how vital this service is. 3. ACT Playgroups worked with Minister Rattenbury and the Education and Training Directorate last year around sponsoring a trial of a new school-based playgroup program in five ACT primary schools. In their pre-election commitments the ACT Greens pledged to go ahead with this program if elected to Government. The ACT Playgroups' component of the first stage of this trial has been costed at about $30,000. 4. As the first full jurisdiction to roll-out the NDIS, we need to find a model for a more integrated system of family support for those going through this challenging time in their lives. Support and services for all family members of children with additional needs to be made available. ACT Playgroups would like to work with the Government to better assist and support parents/carers and families of children with additional needs. |
| What services do you believe are most important for the Territory? | ACT Playgroups believes that a thriving community service network is required to better support the important role of parents and carers of very young children in this important role. Community services need to be resourced and assisted to work together to provide integrated or continuous support for families. |
| How can the Government deliver current services more efficiently and productively or to better meet the needs of Canberrans? | More resourcing and attention is needed for the universal, coal-front services to provide support, referrals and assistance to families in the ACT long before serious problems emerge. |
| Are there particular services that you consider the Government should stop delivering or should deliver in a different way? | More focus should be given to the early support and intervention services (in both government and non-government programs). |
| Are there any new ways to generate revenue and/or services you consider that the community should make a direct contribution to (a fee for service)? | Costs can be decreased, or offset by using families to support and mentor each other, engaging families as volunteers and leveraging the good-will that is very prevalent in the ACT. ACT playgroups provides basic assistance to over 200 playgroups and 2000 families each week with a small handful of staff. The bulk of the work is done for free at every one of these locations by the thousands of families that participate alongside hundreds of volunteers. |
| What can the Government do to make Canberra even more liveable? | The ACT Government should focus more on connecting people and engendering a greater sense of connection and community in the ACT. While some attention has been given in recent years to doing this in some of the newer green-fields development areas, more needs to be done in these spaces, but also mostly in the more established areas, many of which suffer from a long term lack of attention and support. |