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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.

Strengthening Families

(Gippsland, Southern Metro, Northern Metro and Oven’s Murray)

Strengthening Families supports families from pregnancy until a child turns 4, when life is becoming more challenging. We work in partnership with families in their home and community to build confidence, strengthen parenting skills, and support children’s safety, wellbeing and development.

Support is flexible and tailored to each family’s needs, helping families make positive changes and feel more confident in everyday life.

Referrals to this program are received via local Orange Door services.

 

Early Years Specialised Interventions – Restoring Families 

(Northern Metro, Gippsland Regions) 

This program provides additional specialised support for families during pregnancy until a child’s 4th birthday. 

Support may include advice and consultation with partner agencies, as well as targeted help for families with specific needs or when additional support is required. 

Families who use this service are already enrolled in a Restoring Families program with a partner agency. This helps make sure families receive the right support at the right time, in a way that works for them.

 

Restoring Families

(Southern Metro and Gippsland Regions) 

Restoring Families provides more intensive support for families from pregnancy until a child’s 6th birthday who are facing complex and ongoing challenges. 

Working alongside other services, the program helps families build safer and more stable home environments, strengthen relationships, and recover from difficult experiences. Its aim is to support families to stay together safely wherever possible and create a more positive future.

Referrals can be received through local Child Protection navigators.

 

Community Connector

(Southern Metro and Gippsland Regions)

Community Connectors are part of the Family Services stream and work with local services and communities to make it easier for families to access the right support. 

They help build strong local partnerships, improve knowledge and inclusive practice, and create better pathways for families. This includes making sure support is culturally responsive and suited to each family’s language and communication needs.

 

Partnerships

To ensure we’re providing the highest standard of care and maximising our impact across the state, QEC partners with a number of organisations and programs.

Early Childhood Development Worker Program (ECD)
This program aims to strengthen the partnerships between early years’ service providers, The Orange Door (TOD), and Family Services.

The program has two key objectives:

  • Systemic improvement for vulnerable children newborn to 5 years. It does this through better partnerships between TOD, Family Services, universal and secondary early years services.
  • Service enhancements for vulnerable children newborn to 5 years. It achieves this through targeted capacity-building activities for family services that helps to train early years’ practitioners in assessing and responding to vulnerable early childhood developmental needs.

ForWhen
ForWhen is a national navigation service staffed by clinically trained, specialised health professionals. The service connects new and expecting parents and carers experiencing perinatal mental health issues to local support services in a timely manner.

For more information, visit Perinatal Depression & Anxiety Helpline - PND | ForWhen (forwhenhelpline.org.au)

MacKillop - Family Preservation and Reunification Response (FPRR)
We deliver the Family Preservation and Reunification Response (FPRR) in partnership with MacKillop Family Services. QEC staff provide specialist early parenting support and case management to support families experiencing vulnerability in the Southern Metropolitan, Northern Metropolitan and Ovens Murray Regions.

For more information, visit Family Preservation and Reunification Response - DFFH Service Providers

Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA)
VACCA supports culturally strong, safe and thriving Aboriginal communities. Together with the Aboriginal community, they design, develop and deliver programs that build on peoples’ strengths.

They understand intergenerational trauma, and that healing occurs in the context of developing relationships, connection to culture, community, and Country.

Their services are also open to support non-Aboriginal people with an Aboriginal family member, such as children or a partner.

VACCA delivers more than 75 programs across Victoria aligned to its Vision, Purpose and Principles. For more information, please visit Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency | VACCA