Citation:
Harman-Smith, Y. & Brinkman, S. (2016). Community Development Coordinator Role Consultation: Consultation Report. Government Report. Department for Education and Child Development. Adelaide.
Abstract:
Two Children’s Centre for Early Childhood and Parenting (Children’s Centres) were opened in 2005 with a further five to open by 2008. Since that time, another 35 centres have progressively been opened around South Australia. During the expansion of the program there have been changes to service provision in centres, the composition of staff teams, lessons learnt and experience accumulated. This has resulted in changes for how the Centres operate, the expectations on roles within centres and the skill sets that are needed to make the most of each role. Governance changes have also impacted on the way the roles operate.
The Telethon Kids Institute (the Institute) has been contracted to conduct consultation specifically about the role of the Community Development Coordinator (CDC) in Children’s Centres. CDCs have been a cornerstone of the Children’s Centre model, but the way in which the role works in practice varies greatly across centres. Thus, the consultation sought to gather information about how the role operates, the potential for the role, the best use of this resource, and how it links in with other roles in Centres.
In addition, the Institute has been asked to investigate the way in which CDC role currently supports or could potentially support the work of broader Education and Child Development (ECD) Local Partnerships. ECD Local Partnerships, established in 2014, are a collective of geographically defined preschool and school sites, and the communities they serve. The South Australian Department for Education and Child Development (DECD) state that the aim of the partnerships is to contribute to improved outcomes for children and young people by:
- providing joint solutions to shared problems enabling young people to more easily overcome barriers to their learning and better achieve their potential
- sharing expertise and resources within and across sites to build the skills and abilities of leaders and teachers
- promoting the dissemination of good practice
- greater links with local businesses, services, non-government organisations and local government agencies
- enhancing professional development of leaders and staff
- greater support for children and young people with a local partnership/community
- using resources more efficiently.
As part of the review, the Institute was also tasked with reviewing the literature about Community Development and Community Engagement to identify best practice, functions of the role, and whether best practice principles could help inform the parameters of the CDC role.
In summary, this report will outline the theory and evidence base for Community Development and Community Engagement, report on consultation activities and findings, and conclude with recommendations for the role moving forward.