FAQs

Our current child and family strategy will expire at the end of the year and it is time to develop a new plan for supporting and enhancing the lives of children and families in Lake Macquarie. 

We value the input from our community into our strategies and plans. Engaging consultation between Council and community ensures we are on the same page and working together to achieve targeted outcomes for our CIty.

After the Royal Commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse was released, a number of measures were identified that communities can do to ensure the safety of children. 

We want to ensure that our youngest and most vulnerable population are supported and protected, and understand ways in which we can enhance the safety of all children in our City. 

We welcome feedback from all members of the community – parents, carers, family services and most importantly children! You can upload children's ideas here or visit our social media pages upload a picture, video, or letter from your child to share their voices for their City.  

In the last strategy we achieved a number of actions, many of which are still ongoing as they have brought about great results for the community and family services. These have included:

1. Auditing and uploading an interactive map of all playgrounds and their features onto our website so families can find the playground that is best for them and their needs 
2. Implementation of the You’re Kidding Me program which provides families with free access to talks and workshops with local experts to best support their child’s development in the early years
3. Expansion of the You’re Kidding Me Expo, where families can access over 70 services, programs and resources and find out what supports are available to them in the local community
4. Advocating for quality standards and increase in funding for child care services in our local government area (LGA)
5. Coordinating a regular Interagency and sector training specifically for child and family services to increase the interactions and connection between all services. This leads to better planning and support for families in our LGA
6. Chairing the Lake Macquarie Domestic Violence Committee and supporting the implementation of a range of education and awareness programs in our City. This helps to provide a safe community for our children and families to grow and thrive.

Consultation for the Child and Family Strategy closes Monday 23 November.