About Child and Family Learning Centres (CFLCs)

The early years, the time from pregnancy until five years, is a period of rapid development that has a direct impact on a child’s future health, education, social development, and readiness for school.

The Nest, the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) wellbeing framework for children, shows that for a child to get the best start in life and reach their potential, their needs must be met across six interconnected domains:

• Being loved, safe and valued
• Having material basics
• Being healthy
• Learning
• Participating
• Having a positive sense of culture and identity.

These domains are foundational to the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy: It takes a Tasmanian Village and the DECYP Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy.

By providing children and families with the opportunities and environments for healthy development, they will have the foundation for current and future physical, emotional, and social wellbeing.

Parents and caregivers are a child’s first and most important teachers.

Irrespective of their education, job or income, parents and caregivers have an important role in supporting their children to become confident and motivated life-long learners.

CFLCs engage with and support parents, caregivers, and families, working together in partnership, to ensure that every parent, caregiver and family can play a positive role in their child’s learning, health and wellbeing, from pregnancy until they start school.

CFLC programs and services promote agency to empower  parents, caregivers, and families and build their capacity to give children the best start in life.

It takes a village to raise a child.

CFLCs provide opportunities for children and families to engage and connect with other families and service providers in their community. Families build trusting relationships in connected communities, where everyone works together to enable young children to thrive.

When a child and their family is connected to their neighbourhood and community, they have:

• a sense of belonging to a place and community
• opportunities to learn
• supportive relationships and role models
• people to go to when they need help.

CFLCs are underpinned by the Family Partnership Model (FPM), an innovative and evidence-based model of the helping process and an internationally recognised approach to partnership practice.

The model demonstrates how specific helper qualities and skills, when used in partnership, enable parents, families, and others to overcome their challenges, build strengths, resilience and enable their goals to be achieved effectively. Ultimately, it aims to achieve better outcomes for our children and their families.

CFLCs are underpinned by inclusive education principles and all CFLCs are committed to providing high quality inclusive learning environments for children and families.

Children and families from all social, cultural, community and family backgrounds and of all identities and abilities can access and participate in their local CFLC and learn in a safe and supportive environment, that is free from bullying, discrimination, or harassment.

Inclusive environments can help promote children’s learning, development, and engagement; ensure a sense of belonging; and foster positive social relationships.

Evidence shows that inclusive education leads to improved quality of education for all, and education which is more sensitive to children’s needs.

Cultural safety is an environment or relationship where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people feel safe to be themselves, their Aboriginality is respected and their sense of self and identity is  nurtured and encouraged.

Cultural safety begins with an appreciation of the historical context of colonisation, racism at the individual and institutional levels, and the impact of this on Aboriginal people’s lives and wellbeing, both in the past and present.

The presence or absence of cultural safety cannot be determined by an organisation. It can only be determined by Aboriginal children and families, staff and volunteers who access and attend the organisation.

CFLCs recognise that:

• culture is a protective factor in keeping children safe
• for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, connections to their family, community and culture are critical to their wellbeing and positive self-identity
• continuity of cultural identity promotes healthy development
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children have the right to practise their cultures with their families and communities.

CFLCs are committed to:

• ensuring CFLCs are culturally safe environments for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families and culturally safe workplaces for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, workers and volunteers.
• developing the capability of staff to work in culturally safe and competent ways to meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families.
• delivering culturally safe practises and services that value children, families, staff, workers and volunteers and their cultural identity, lived experience and wellbeing.

Safeguarding children and young people is the responsibility of every person in DECYP.

All staff, workers and volunteers have a legal, organisational, and moral obligation to protect and uphold the rights of children and young people, while safeguarding them from abuse, including sexual abuse and grooming.

CFLCs are committed to:

• promoting and enhancing the rights and safety of children and young people
• strengthening governance, culture, systems, and practices to keep children and young people at the centre of our work and protecting them from harm
• implementing Safe. Secured, Supported. Our Safeguarding Framework (Safeguarding Framework), legislation and other relevant DECYP policies
• implementing the Child and Youth Safe Organisations Framework and the Child and Youth Safe Standards and Universal Principle for Aboriginal Cultural Safety.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is a legal document to protect and promote the rights and wellbeing of children.

It is an international treaty that sets out the fundamental rights and principles for children.

In early years settings, UNCRC rights and principles are recognised and upheld by providing opportunities for play and leisure (see Article 31), prioritising the child’s best interests (see Article 3), and ensuring a safe and protective environment (see Article 19).