The Thriving Together pilot program will operate in South Grafton, NSW from 13 October 2020 for eight weeks. Centring around early childhood education and care, the program is based on a PCCS social prescribing framework and is designed to:
- Promote the benefit of early learning to families living in poverty
- Break down the barriers to early learning and childhood care
- Create a wrap around inter-agency response to support the “front line” parent so that their child can thrive, and not just survive
- Support GPs with an easier referral pathway for their patient-families to access external services and reduce demand on primary care.
Early learning not only supports “school readiness” but it is also a protective factor for children exposed to adverse childhood experiences and it provides an opportunity for the parent to engage in the workforce and access supports. Thriving Together is available to eligible mothers in the South Grafton area with a referral from their GP. Places are very limited.
Following completion of the pilot program, on 25 November 2020 there will be an online webinar, “The science behind adverse childhood experiences – how to prevent and treat,“ to engage the wider system and to learn from a range of experts. Hosted by our partners at Healthy Australia, the webinar will explore the evidence surrounding adverse childhood experiences and the art of collective engagement to deliver results. Suitable for all healthcare professionals, registrations for this webinar can be made via the link above.
PCCS gratefully acknowledges funding for this program from the Waratah Education Foundation.
