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Do you have a child or children aged under five years of age? You may be eligible to attend a smalltalk supported playgroup.

smalltalk is a national program developed by the Parenting Research Centre to promote evidence-based strategies parents can use to enhance learning at home for children from birth to school age.

When you attend a smalltalk playgroup you can:

• Have fun with engaing activities for you and your child.
• Help your child's learning and development.
• Connect with other families in your community.

smalltalk supported playgroups include a healthy snack for your child and run during school terms on the following days and locations:

Ironbark - Monday 9.30am - 11.30am

Kangaroo Flat - Tuesday 9.30am - 11.30am

Eaglehawk North - Wednesday 9.15am - 11.15am

Heathcote - Thursday 9am - 10.30am

 

Eligibility

smalltalk playgroups are for families who have at least one of the following characteristics:

A family member in the household holds one of the following:

• • a Commonwealth Health Care Card
  • a Commonwealth Pensioner Concession Card
  • a Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card or White Card
  • Refugee visa (subclass 200)
  • In-country Special Humanitarian visa (subclass 201)
  • Global Special Humanitarian visa (subclass 202)
  • Temporary Humanitarian Concern visa (subclass 786)
  • Protection visa (subclass 866)
  • Emergency Rescue visa (subclass 203)
  • Woman at risk visa (subclass 204)
  • Bridging visas, A-E.

  In addition, the following families are also eligible:

  • families in which a family member identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
  • families who are looking after children in kinship care arrangements (out of home care)
  • families referred from Child FIRST or Child Protection
  • families referred from or receiving Enhanced Maternal and Child Health Services.

  For more information please contact Tiffany Holschier on 0498 642 909 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

smalltalk in-home support

In-home support involves a qualified facilitator visiting a family in their own home. Parents receiving in-home support may also be attending a supported playgroup. During these home-based sessions, parents see practical examples of the smalltalk strategies, and can practice these ideas with guidance from a qualified facilitator.

Duration

In home support sessions vary depending on if the family is also attending a supported playgroup.

If a family is attending a supported playgroup, the facilitator will implement five in-home coaching sessions (one session a fortnight). If the family isn’t attending supported playgroups, the trained facilitator will implement 10 in-home coaching sessions (one session weekly). Sessions can run for 1-1.5 hours.

Aim

To support parents to raise happy, healthy children by:

• Seeking and sharing scientific knowledge of effective parenting.
• Developing research-based practical solutions to contemporary parenting challenges.
• Building the capability of the community to support parents.
• Providing parents with ideas and information to create a positive learning environment to support children’s learning and development.
• Getting more families into a supported playgroup.
• Helping families and children to connect with other support services.

Eligibility

The target group for In-Home Support is families who are eligible to attend Supported Playgroups (see above) and have at least one of the following characteristics:

• parent aged 25 years or less
• mother has not completed high school
• single parent family• ten or less books in the home.

 

For more information please contact Tiffany Holschier on:0498 642 909 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.