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We acknowledge all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as Traditional Owners of the lands on which we together walk, live and raise our children. 

We pay our respects to Traditional Owners past, present and future. 

We acknowledge the importance of children being raised with connections to culture, community and family. View our Acknowledgement of Country.

Inclusion statement

At QEC, we work together with families and communities to create a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming environment. We celebrate the different strengths and experiences that everyone brings.

We embrace diversity and want to make sure our places, processes, and services are fair, more accessible, and open to all.

It is important to us that people can express their beliefs, values and needs and that these are heard and understood so that everyone feels safe, respected, and a sense of belonging.

Current Opportunities for Our Community

If you’ve been a part of one of our programs before, we’d love to engage with you to learn more about your experience. By working with us, you can help make a difference in how we run our programs and be a part of our culture of continuous learning and improvement. 

We welcome families from all backgrounds, abilities, identities and life experiences to get involved. However you found your way to QEC and whatever your story looks like, your voice matters to us just as much as anyone else's.

Here are just a few ways you can get involved:
 

  • Sharing your Story

We'd love to hear about your experience at QEC. We can meet virtually or over the phone. Your story makes a difference: we share your feedback with our Executive Team and Board. 

With your permission, we may also share parts of your story internally or on QEC's social media, to help other families see the impact of our programs. You can even stay anonymous if you'd prefer.

Interested in sharing your story? We'd love to hear from you. Complete this form and we'll be in touch.
 

  • Facebook Online Panel

Families can join our private Facebook group and answer questions that go directly toward improving our services. Search ‘QEC Family Online Panel’ and click the ‘Join’ button for your request to be approved.
 

  • Joining our Family Advisory Committee

Our Family Advisory Committee meets online 4 times a year, for about 1.5 hours each time, plus one in-person meeting a year if you'd like to join us on site. You're welcome to visit a meeting first, just to see if it's for you, no obligation to continue. 

To join for the first time, you'll need to have completed a QEC program within the past 2 years. All members are thanked for their time with a gift voucher.

Ready to find out more? See what's involved and how to join here.
 

  • Joining a QEC working group

QEC runs a range of other working groups where families can have a say in organisational decisions, some current examples include our Belonging at QEC committee and our Client Information System Working Group. Time commitments vary by committee, but most meet online, several times a year, and members are thanked for their time with a Coles gift voucher.

To join a working group there is an induction process - see more information and how to join here.
 

Did you know?

Consumer representatives also:

  • Sit on interview panels.
  • Are members of committees with other staff, such as our Clinical Governance Committee.
  • Assist with projects, such as our new Client Information Management System.
  • Were involved in developing the Early Parenting Centre’s Outcomes Framework.
  • Helped us to know how to improve in the what we do to keep children safe.
  • Work with us to review how to involve parents and carers in improvements we make.
     

Impact of Consumers

We love working with families who have used our service in the past, to improve the quality of our programs. 

Here are some recent achievements of our consumer representatives and what we’ve done with their suggestions.

Parents told us what ‘quality’ meant to them when receiving care from us...

We used their feedback and feedback from staff to develop our quality framework.
 

At QEC, ‘quality’ care is now defined as:

  • Safe
  • Effective
  • Collaborative
  • Connected
Families told us about the values that they think are important to them when being supported by us...

We used their suggestions and those from our staff to develop our values.

QEC's values are:

  • Strive
  • Nurture
  • Inspire
  • Listen
  • Celebrate
  • Embrace

Click here to see more about our values.

Our survey question about culture was left blank by many families as they thought it was not applicable to them. Our consumers recommended that we ask about ‘values, beliefs and culture’ instead to encourage more families to share what is important to them...

We changed our intake form and our family experience survey to include these words and encourage families to speak up.
 

Almost all families now answer this question, which helps us tailor care that suits each individual family.
 

Parents told us that our survey question asking about the outcomes of their program was too difficult to understand...

We revised the survey using the wording suggested by families and also simplified the style of the survey.

Now it's easier for families to let us know if our programs are making a difference. We can use this information to help support each family better and to know how to further help future families who come to us.

Parents on our Online Facebook Panel have provided their suggestions on several topics including signage, uniforms, our website, our branding...

We use this information to make effective changes for future families coming to us for care.

This helps us to make sure that we are improving our service in a way that benefits families.

How We Will Support You

We will do our best to assist you in your role as consumer representative. We encourage you to let us know how we can best engage with you, including any access, literacy, dietary or cultural needs.