EARLY CHILDHOOD PARENTING CENTRE
The Early Childhood Parenting Centre in Chisholm St (pictured) is a simulated home environment catering specifically for parents with infants and children prior to school age.
Programs include:
Day Stay
Day Stay is a one day intensive parenting program for parents of infants. It is a supportive, practical service for families who are experiencing difficulties with early parenting, e.g. settling or feeding. It is available to any parent in the community. Enquiries through the Ballarat Intake Service 5337 3333.
Parenting Assessment and Skills Development Service (PASDS)
A service provided to parents of infants at high risk to enable comprehensive assessment of parenting skills and individualised skill development plans. Referrals mostly come through Child Protection Services.
This service is provided as a five-day residsential stay or weekly home visits for up to 20 weeks.
Parenting Group
A parenting Group runs once a week for isolated women and their children to provide parenting education, support and socialisation.
Family Support
Family Support is also provided through Chisholm St for parents with young children as part of CAFS integrated family services.
Mentoring for Families
This program aims to support families with young children by matching them with a trained mentor, to be a trusted friend who can offer guidance, realistic advice and practical support as needed.
The volunteer mentors have enjoyed their own parenting experience. They have undertaken an eight week training program, focusing on parenting skills, developmental milestones of young children, home safety, effective communication and conflict resolution skills and the identification of community and recreation resources that would be beneficial for the family to use.
Early Start Kindergarten
Early Start Kindergarten is a new initiative which provides 3 year-old children known to the Child Protection Service free access to kindergarten for up to five hour a week. A project worker is based at the Early Childhood Parenting Centre to assist implementation of this initiative.
Eureka Learning Hub
CAFS hosts the Eureka Learning Hub at the Early Childhood Parenting Centre. The hub is part of the national Healthy Start Program - a strategy to support parents with learning difficulties and promote a healthy start to life for their young children.
The Eureka Learning Hub brings together agencies and individuals. It has been able to collate information about local services and resources available to parents with learning difficulties. The Hub has already identified gaps in service provision in the Ballarat area and is working to build upon and enhance the capacity of such services into the future.
The convenor reports back relevant information from the Healthy Start program.
Eureka Learning Hub is convened by Pennie Mathieson
pmathieson@cafs.org.au
ph: 53317556
Other programs
From time to time other short programs are run from ECPC. Currently this includes a transition to school project that enhances the state wide program by offering additional in-home support and education to a small group of vulnerable pre-school children.