Hub vision

A SERIES of workshops is being held to set up Corner Inlet Children’s Hub so that it functions in a way that truly integrates its delivery of services to families across the Corner Inlet district and is not just a building in Foster housing multiple co-existing services and managing outreach services at Fish Creek, Toora and Welshpool.

Facilitated by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, the second in a series of workshops was held at Foster last Friday with some 17 people involved.

The participants represented kindergarten, child care and maternal health staff, South Gippsland Shire Council, parents from each of Corner Inlet’s kindergartens, UnitingCare Gippsland (the Hub manager) and the Hub Reference Group.

The workshop continued the focus on establishing the vision principles of the Hub and its outreach services, ranging from statements about children feeling safe and welcome at the Hub through to connecting families to each other and a variety of family supports as being part of the service.

Service objectives (for example early identification of any child’s developmental problems) and outcomes (such as improvements in children’s health, wellbeing and development) and the logical paths to link these (prompt referral by Hub staff to visiting specialists at the Hub) were also defined.

Methods of managing the Hub (the governance model) was looked at for the purpose of ensuring the objectives are achieved, and the intent is to build on the strengths already instituted by Prom Coast Children’s Services, which has managed the Corner Inlet kindergartens for many years but will hand over its responsibilities to UnitingCare Gippsland early in 2011.

Initial work was commenced on developing key messages and communication strategies so these aspects could be further worked on at the next Hub Reference Group meeting on January 18.

At the conclusion of the half-day workshop, participants toured the partially-built Hub facility in Pioneer Street Foster, which is now close to lock up stage.

Council’s Hub Project manager Shelley Fixter reported that the visitors were very positive about the space, light, gathering places and movement flows that are already obvious in the new building.

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