BUSHkids Annual Report 2019-20

ANNUAL REPORT 2019–2020 TOPIC SECTION 55 LOCATIONS R CKHAMPTON • STANTHORPE Rockhampton • ECEI During 2020 the Rockhampton team has focused on building new and strengthening existing relationships in the community. We have actively placed strong emphasis on increasing community organisations’ understanding of early childhood services and support pathways through the NDIS. We continue to work closely with Child Safety and similar services. Strengthening these partnerships has led to improved services for children who may have no formal diagnosis—particularly for children living in out-of-home care. With the introduction of COVID-19 the team worked hard to connect with families via phone to ensure they were linked in with necessary services. Stanthorpe • CPSS During the year, new Parent-Child Mother Goose ® playgroups were established in the Granite Belt, bringing parents and children together for early years fun and connection. As with all our ECEI teams, having locally- based staff helps community connections and this year the Stanthorpe team has worked hard to maintain these during the COVID-19 restrictions. The team continues to work closely with local childcare centres, schools and community agencies—and has also supported the ‘Mainly Music’ sessions, a highly popular program in Stanthorpe. The team haa also undertaken regular outreach across the region, particularly toWallangarra on the New South Wales border. With pandemic restrictions, the ‘Early Years Network’ has not met so far this year in Stanthorpe; we have, however, been able to link into the Local Level Alliance in this region to pursue ongoing and future opportunities. More excitingly, we were invited to be part of the Apple and Grape Festival , a fantastic opportunity to connect with local families —and to be photographed with some ‘Flowerpot Men’ from our own early years! https://bit.ly/3lSDVlG https://bit.ly/2KvKxJ3