Councils unite on care

By Ed Merrison
KNOX City Council is to become the lead agency for a Federal Government-funded regional Inclusion Support Agency.
With the Shire of Yarra Ranges, Knox will support childcare services to make them more inclusive of all children, including children with additional needs.
A memorandum of understanding between Knox and the Shire of Yarra Ranges will ensure the most effective partnership and approach.
The two councils will employ staff to work across their municipalities and the City of Maroondah. They have already agreed on staffing and the division of funds.
Knox mayor David Cooper said the agency would benefit childcare services and children in child care and their families.
“This includes young children with additional needs, who have a disability or belong to bilingual, bicultural and refugee backgrounds, as well as children of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds and children with disabilities,” he said.
Cr Cooper said the agency would support childcare services faced with developmental and behavioural issues.
“(Young vulnerable children and their families) will be able to access a more flexible program of quality services.
“Quality services translate to improved family lives for those who need and use the services,” Cr Cooper said.
The council has endorsed participation in the service on the basis that it comes at no cost to Knox.
Yarra Ranges mayor Monika Keane welcomed the partnership between the two councils and said it would enhance service delivery in the all important areas of early childhood development.
“The early years of a child’s life are critical in laying the foundations for who and what we become in adulthood.
“I am confident that this service will go a long way to helping potentially vulnerable children to reach their full potential,” she said.
The program will replace the federally funded Children’s Services Resources and Development Officer Program, and will run for three years from Saturday, 1 April.