The WA State Government has granted a portion of Crown land in Kensington to Ngala to help expand its valuable support services to children and parents. The land will be home an integrated service hub and a new state of the art childcare facility that will enable WA families to access child development and parenting services.
Ngala plan to invite services from across the government, not-for-profit, and private sector to work collaboratively from the hub to ensure that parents and families get the assistance needed to allow children to flourish.
Lands Minister Rita Saffioti said, “Ngala has played a pivotal role in supporting WA families to access childcare and parenting support for more than 125 years, and is a service that families have grown to rely on.
“The Government is pleased to be able to help Ngala to expand their Kensington base to ensure even more families can access these vital services. Community Services Minister Simone McGurk added, “Early childhood education is vital to support children’s development.
“By building strong foundations in the early years, we are supporting a brighter future for our children, our community and our State.”
Ngala has an outstanding reputation, and I am pleased the State Government can support the expansion of their Kensington service to allow parents and children access to high-quality early childhood education and parenting support.”
The planned hub will be a place for organisations and providers with a shared vision for childhood development and parenting to collaborate share learning and pool resources. This will include working alongside research partners to streamline the process of translating research into practice through consistent rollout across the family services sector.
Ngala CEO Fiona Beermier said, “We are very appreciative to the State Government for their support as it demonstrates both the government’s commitment to the importance of early childhood development and parenting support, as well as their confidence in Ngala”.
“We know that the first three years of a baby’s life are the most crucial to the development of a baby’s brain and Ngala is well placed to support parents through these challenging yet very exciting times. We also know that parents can find navigating the health and community sector challenging. By providing a place where families can access quality, integrated services that improve locally based connections; we are better able to respond to the needs of the community.” Ms Beermier added.
Stage one of the project will involve the establishment of a new Early Learning Centre with planning commencing in early 2019.
• Significant evidence demonstrates the importance of the first 1000 days of a child’s life in their future health, wellbeing and relationships.
• The hub will build on the foundations of programs such as the Stronger Families Alliance from NSW and will create the platform for WA families to get the support and services they need, in a collaborative non-fragmented way.
• Collaboration will be sought with organisations supporting at-risk groups such as Aboriginal and CaLD communities; children of parents living with a mental illness; and those experiencing general socioeconomic strain.
About Ngala
Ngala is a provider of Early Parenting and Early Childhood services, working with and for Western Australian families to enhance their experience of parenting and to promote the healthy development of children and young people. At 128 years, Ngala is one of the oldest non-government organisations in Western Australia and is widely recognised as a leader in early parenting.
Find out more at www.ngala.com.au
Media contact
Brian Smith
Manager Business Development
Call (08)9367 9473
[email protected].
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