Children and Families Strategy

Over the past month, we have heard from families on what matters most to them and their children, and we are thrilled that we have such a passionate community who care about the physical spaces and opportunities our children can access.

We heard from many respondents that shade, along with a variety of play features in playgrounds and footpath accessibility, is a key concern. This information is being passed on to our teams who are working on new strategies for these matters and we encourage you to check in over the next few months to see developments in this space. Specifically, Council is in progress to develop a Walking, Cycling and Better Streets Strategy, as well as Parks and Playground Strategy. Your voices and concerns will not go unheard, and we will ensure these thoughts are shared with teams working on these plans.

Additional to engagement with families, we have also consulted with students through a ‘Mayor for a Day’ campaign, young children through their early childhood centres and service providers. All of the information gathered and stories shared over the past four weeks will be used to help us develop an action plan for supporting children and families over the next four years.

A draft Strategy will be sent to the Council Meeting on Monday 26 October and the community will be able to provide further comment and feedback while it is on exhibition from 27 October - 28 November 2020.

We thank everyone who has taken the time to have their say and to help Council shape the next four years of making Lake Mac a great place for children and families to live.

Lake Mac is home to over 55,000 families, and 31,000 children aged under 12, and in order to support these growing families, Lake Macquarie City Council is seeking community input to develop its 2021-2024 Children and Families Strategy.

Community Planner Children and Families Jess Salvador said the strategy was an essential framework for considering and protecting the needs of our youngest residents.

“We want to work collaboratively with the community, and most importantly with children, to ensure their voices are reflected in the strategy,” Ms Salvador said.

As the Council's current Children and Families Strategy draws to a close and we embark on developing a new Strategy, it's important to take stock of the achievements made together with community and services over the last five years.

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, now in it's eighth year, 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.

Review the current strategy, for more information on current actions underway.

We look forward to seeing all of the new ideas and opportunities to improve supports for children and families, and working together to make them happen over the next for years. To share your ideas, join our discussion boards or complete a survey before Friday 14 August.

Council takes into consideration the latest Australian and NSW government information and frameworks for children's development and safety as part of the Children and Families Strategy.

Below are a number of links you might find useful for more information and consideration during community consultation to help develop the Strategy.

• First 2000 days - NSW Government Child Youth and Family Health Service
• Supporting Early Childhood Development - Australian Early Development Census, an Australian Government Program
• Keeping children Safe - NSW Government Office of the Children's Guardian
• Children’s Rights Report 2019 - Australian Human Rights Commission