Minto Under 12's Project, NSW
Stronger Families Learning Exchange Bulletin No.5 Autumn 2004 p.28-29
First glimpse - project responses to a series of questions
The project setting
The Minto Under 12's Project is auspiced by Uniting Care Burnside and is located at the Minto Family Centre, a suburb north of Campbelltown in NSW. Campbelltown has a population of approximately 11,400 people - 26% of which are aged 0-12 years. There are approximately 1,000 housing department dwellings that are being re-developed to a reduced public and private mix. It has been estimated that 800 public houses will be demolished and that after the redevelopment two to three hundred will be available for public housing. The issues of service provision for children under 12 years was raised in Campbelltown in two independent forums - one with residents of Minto and the other among key service providers.
Why is the project needed?
The purpose of this project is to create better opportunities for children in the Minto Public Housing Estate and to normalise the experiences of children. It is also to provide children with opportunities to reach their potential.
What are you trying to do in this project?
It is intended to reintroduce the concept of community caring, to celebrate childhood and to intervene before serious problems develop. It is also recognised that in order to make changes there needs to be a focus on parents and on the community of Minto as a whole. A priority of this project is in gaining parental involvement and having parents enjoy spending time with their kids.
How are you going about it?
The Minto Under 12's Project is only in the beginning stages. We are currently involving the community in planning in the following ways:
- Planning workshop (and introduction to Action Research) held with workers and parents with children aged 0-5 years, facilitated by Liz and Margo from SFLEX. Aim was to come up with ideas for programs for children aged 0-5 years.
- Responding to community need as evidenced by demand (enquiries and waiting lists regarding pre-existing groups) and issues being named by the community (for example the social impact of the redevelopment, no one wanting to hear the stories of families having to relocate due to the redevelopment).
- Trialing Paint and Play (a street based group for parents and children aged 0-5 years) in various locations with a research focus on does this work - Why? How? Where? What do parents and children want, how do they want it delivered etc?
Use of action research
The practice of action research has a close relationship with the strengthsbased model of working with families and communities that Burnside adheres to. The Minto Under 12's Project has brought to our attention the question of how are we going to record the project? We are currently introducing new methods to add to our 'tried and true' forms of documentation, including:
- Video
- Photography
- Audio
- Journalling
- Paintings/drawings
- Scrapbooking
- Formal and informal service-user feedback mechanisms such as focus groups and surveys.
