Berry Street Web Docs Berry Street Early Years Plan | Page 4

• A National Partnership Agreement on Indigenous Early Childhood
Development ($472M over six years) with elements including establishment
of 35 new Child and Family Centres.
• A National Quality Agenda including a national early years learning
framework to guide the delivery of quality early years programs and
inform parents on how best to promote children’s development.
At the State level the Coalition Government elected in November 2010 signalled a broad
commitment to continue to pursue important early years sector reform. More broadly the
State Government has committed to providing an annual statement on Victorian families, the
first of which was tabled in State Parliament in February 2011. The statement acknowledges
issues of relevance and importance to Berry Street including community safety, family well
being, mental health and supporting children through education and other means to reach
their full potential. Berry Street will continue to seek to influence early years policy at the
State and Commonwealth levels to ensure that vulnerable children do in-deed reach their full
potential.

Our Goal Areas
The Berry Street Early Years Plan includes specific strategies and actions under the five goal
a reas of the Berry Street 2010-2013 Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan and our 2027
Strategic Directions document are available upon request or at www.berrystreet.org.au
Services
Goal: Berry Street delivers the highest quality, holistic and developmentally
sensitive services.
Strategies:
• Support and enable:
» our child focused services to base their practice on a sound understanding of child
development; and
» our services working with young people and adults to understand how disrupted
childhood development and childhood trauma can impact later in life.
• Utilise community development approaches to strengthen the developmental
environment for young children within their cultural, local and other communities
• Promote access to high quality early years services for vulnerable families and carers
that are responsive to their needs and the needs of children in their care
• Have infant mental health acknowledged, prioritised and supported within child
protection and Out-of-Home Care (OOHC) systems
Leadership and Advocacy
Goal: Berry Street contributes to a fairer and more inclusive community in relation
to the early years.
Strategies:
• Advocate for the following:
» children’s rights and the importance of a good childhood in supporting
lifelong well-being;
» existing early years services to better meet the needs of vulnerable
children and their families;