From ambition to reality

Future directions in Early Childhood and the Maternal and Child Health Review MAV Human Services Directors’ Forum 24 April 2013

Improving the quality of education for all Positively engaged young people Safe and resilient families More positive outcomes Early YearsPrimarySecondary Early intervention and prevention from pre-birth, until children grow up to become parents themselves Youth work: active, engaged, informed, prepared, safe, healthy Keeping children safe when necessary Post-16 Positively engages with excellent teaching throughout primary and secondary school Range of positive activities outside the classroom Great start in Early Years – arrives at school ready to learn Vulnerable people supported to develop independence and social networks Excellent post- 16 provision Early intervention and prevention: identifies children at risk of negative outcomes, works with the whole family, and addresses the situation accordingly Support provided to families before birth where needed Additional support needs identified early Age

Moving to the top tier – developing an Early Childhood Strategic Plan Purpose Improve outcomes for children Make sure children and families are best able to benefit from services to achieve this Clarify the state government’s strategic priorities in coming years Scope Period up to 8 years of age Focus on services in the portfolio of children and early childhood development Relationships with local government Interface across state government Advocacy with federal government Victoria should aim to be globally in the top-tier for children’s learning, health and development outcomes. Victoria should be the best place to raise a child and for children to grow up.

Where are we at? Where do we want to be? We have many strengths: AEDI indicates 4 in 5 children are developmentally on track at entry to school (across 5 domains) High participation in MCH High participation in Early Childhood Education Substantial reform through early childhood national partnership agreements is challenging but progressing well Increasing the local evidence base about ‘what works’ We also have 3 key challenges: 1.Strengthening the quality of early childhood services 2.Earlier and better support for the most vulnerable 3.Integrating systems and services

Focus areas High quality early childhood learning and health services Taking the next steps with the early childhood workforce A positive home environment Sustained support for vulnerable children and families Improved support for children with disabilities and developmental delays Supporting local government in early childhood provision Integrating early childhood services and practice Working nationally to clarify roles and responsibilities Building community capacity to respond to children’s needs Improving the quality and responsiveness of services Earlier and better support for those who need it most Seamless and cohesive early childhood sector

A sector-wide Outcomes Framework An outcomes framework for all children can support: services and communities to be rigorously outcomes- focused a shared approach for improving outcomes for children the delivery of measurable improvements for all children high quality identification of, and early intervention for, all children who need additional help monitoring of changes in children’s outcomes

Early Childhood Outcome Framework – Four Inter-related Domains Children: are born healthy receive nutrition, care, time for play and rest are increasingly responsible for their health are supported when ill Being Healthy Children: are connected, included & contribute to their world develop empathy & can establish and sustain relationships develop a sense of culture and identity are valued and inform decisions Building Wellbeing Children: are confident & involved learners develop skills for life & learning engage with quality education & achieve positive outcomes are effective communicators Learning & Developing Children’s: environments are nurturing, safe and secure neighbourhoods are child friendly Children: are environmentally- responsible are protected from harm Staying Safe

Consultation Expert Advisory Group Experts across a range of disciplines providing high- level advice and guidance Whole-system event Will bring together key stakeholders, including parents, services providers and local government Discussion Paper Will provide stimulus to facilitate broader stakeholder submissions and conversation Targeted stakeholder discussions Victorian Children’s Council, Early Childhood Development Advisory Group, Municipal Association of Victoria

MCH Review: Links with the EC Strategic Plan The MCH Review work will be consistent with the Early Childhood Strategic Plan A number of issues identified as part of this work will be considered by the MCH Review including: The need to embed a more systemic approach to multi-agency collaboration to ensure services for young children are linked identifying ways that universal services can be strengthened to more effectively prevent vulnerability and intervene early when risks are identified the need for more flexible and responsive service delivery and better tracking of vulnerable clients the limited funding for universal and early intervention services between the ages of 1 and 3 and the critical role MCH can play in maintaining contact between the universal system and vulnerable families during this period.

Review of MCH structure and delivery Constantly improving knowledge base and higher quality information Greater need and capacity to focus on outcomes of individual children and cohorts Supporting and nurturing all children’s learning and development from birth is crucial to long-term outcomes Improving service efficiency and effectiveness is vital in a constrained fiscal environment, and with increasing service demands New and emerging approaches to service delivery - Progressive universalism -Multi-Agency Support Teams Vulnerable Children’s Inquiry recommendations to improve outcomes for vulnerable children including through the delivery of DEECD services The need for change (the ‘burning platform’) Components of the MCH Service to be examined

MCH Review consultation strategy The review of MCH Services arises from the significant partnership between the Victorian Government and the Municipal Association of Victoria Aims: Identify and engage key stakeholders and experts, in particular those in Local Government, to determine means of addressing key reform challenges for the MCH program Secure the commitment of key stakeholders to the reform process MAV/DEECD Local Government Local Gov’t Management MCH Service Other stakeholders Gov’t Dep’ts External experts etc MAV is leading the consultation with Local Government

MCH Review timeline March April June MayJulyAugustSeptember  Consultation Synthesis of consultation and research base Draft options to Minister and MAV Change program Reform options for budget Short-term: Immediate actions Medium term: Substantial pieces of work and further consultation Long term: Vision and reform goals