Two new programs delivered by Anglicare Victoria in partnership with Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) and Tweddle Child and Family Health Service (Tweddle) are launching in Melbourne’s West.

The Early Help Family Services program (Early Help) will provide inclusive early help to families living in Western Melbourne with children aged 0-18. Early Help is designed to connect families and support the wellbeing and development of children depending on a family’s needs.

Families participating in universal services including early childhood education and care services, primary and secondary schools, and maternal and child health (MCH) services will be able to refer to the Early Help program. Children and families from Aboriginal and culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds will, where possible, be prioritised and linked to VACCA’s Early Help and other services.

The Bringing Up Great Kids (BUGK) parent program is a fun and free 6-week in-person or online group that focuses on how parents communicate with their children. Bringing Up Great Kids promotes respectful and caring relationships between parents/carers and their children aged 12 months to 8 years.

BUGK offers opportunities for parents to learn about how children understand and use messages from their parents in their own development. This parenting program combines a reflective mindfulness-based approach to parenting with a focus on the emotional and developmental needs of children.

Early Help is being delivered Monday and Tuesday at Quatin Binnah Community Centre in Werribee on Mondays and Tuesdays and the Braybrook Community Hub on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Bringing Up Great Kids is delivered in person at Westgrove Primary School in Werribee on Tuesdays 9.15am – 11.15am and online on Tuesdays 7pm-9pm

Aboriginal Children’s Day is a time when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities and all Australians, celebrate the strengths and culture of Aboriginal children. It is an opportunity for us to show our support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, as well as learn about the crucial impact that culture, family, and community play in the life of every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child.

This year’s theme is ‘My Dreaming, My Future’. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are born into stories of their family, culture, and Country. They carry with them the songlines of their ancestors and culture, passed down by generations. Their Dreaming is part of Aboriginal history, while their futures are their own to shape.

This Children’s Day, Aboriginal children are asked to share what Dreaming means to them, learning how they interpret this in their lives and identity, and hearing what their aspirations are for the future. Tweddle are sharing ‘My Dreaming, My Future’ colouring activities with Residential children and families.

The majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are thriving and growing up strong in their cultures, with support from their families and communities.

However, a significant number of our children continue to face ongoing challenges stemming from colonisation and its effects. This includes discrimination, poverty, systemic removal, intergenerational trauma, dislocation from land and culture, and community disempowerment.

To achieve equality, we must approach these challenges through a holistic approach, considering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children’s wellbeing, safety, and development.

Tweddle is committed to providing safe,  respectful, accessible and inclusive practices and programs in the best interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families for a safe, thriving and strong start to life.

Trauma caused by colonisation and a history of injustice and inequity continues to effect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their access to the health service system.