Geoff Sharp

Working in and on Collaborative Approaches to Systemic Transformation across the early years' field. Tweets and thoughts are my own etc. etc.

[Geoff Sharp @Geoff_R_Sharp]

@vline_ballarat 30 minutes? Where can I get some of your optimism? It’s taken us 59 minutes just to exit the Caroline springs car park!
😂…

😳…

😭

[Geoff Sharp @Geoff_R_Sharp]

@VicGovDH Congratulations @VicGovDH for a wonderful evening and such a privilege to honour the health volunteers across Victoria and all of the inductees into the hall of fame!

https://t.co/BkQf5CkHmD

[Victorian Department of Health @VicGovDH]

Congratulations to the Heywood Men’s Shed, nominated by @HeywoodRural , for winning the “Health Volunteer Team of the Year” award for their dedicated volunteer work supporting Heywood Rural Health and the local community. #VPHAwards

[Geoff Sharp @Geoff_R_Sharp]

@SuzieRiddell - @AlboMP we know you couldn’t make it today but there is a clear call to step up show leadership and work differently - we’ve got the recipe - also @AmandaRishworth we are sharing it with you all.

@D_AccessEcon @CCCH_AU @MCRI_for_kids @benevolentAU

[Geoff Sharp @Geoff_R_Sharp]

Great question from @ToyLibraries - how do we create an integrated space that is social as well as service oriented

Why because that means it is safe, owned by family, and on their ground. The secret sauce is often the funding that glues this all together - it isn’t frontline!!

[Geoff Sharp @Geoff_R_Sharp]

@CentrePolicyDev identified how often integrated place based centres are scraped together, funded on the margins, and are not sustainable - often just as they are getting runs on the board. #icfc

[Geoff Sharp @Geoff_R_Sharp]

Susie from @CCCH_AU sharing how the integrated child and family centres (#icfc) and hubs are changing the game across hundreds of communities

[Geoff Sharp @Geoff_R_Sharp]

We have an opportunity for leadership .
For leaders to say it is more important to help children succeed than it is to protect your service, your department, your state or federal department. It’s time to let go our traditional roles of go #icfc

[Geoff Sharp @Geoff_R_Sharp]

But i isn’t about the quantum of dollars - it’s all about how it is delivered - consistency, flexibility and place based and how it encourages the breaking down of silos between systems
(Eg health vs education)

[Geoff Sharp @Geoff_R_Sharp]

@D_AccessEcon
$1.3 billion would move 25% of the children experiencing vulnerability into an #icfc and begin to change the story at an early age .yeah it’s a
Lot of money but from an economic sense the downstream payoff would be huge

[Geoff Sharp @Geoff_R_Sharp]

To help children it isn’t rocket science:
1. Place based and participatory
2. Flexible
3. Curation not tick boxes
4, family aware
5 relationship based

[Geoff Sharp @Geoff_R_Sharp]

it is clear that peri urban , regional and remote communities tend to over represent with the challenges of vulnerability and poverty - they are concentrated, place based and… easy to find! But yet of the hundreds of communities there are only a few with an #icfc

[Geoff Sharp @Geoff_R_Sharp]

Lachlan Smirl leader of Education Policy Practice at @D_AccessEcon shares the models which show that 30% of communities who experience disadvtage would make massive steps if an integrated child and family centre (#icfc) was set up

[Geoff Sharp @Geoff_R_Sharp]

If you want to enable change it is all about funding.

NOT ALL about more money / just smarter, more flexible and less compliance heavy funding streams. Funding around a child and family - not to a child.
#icfc

[Geoff Sharp @Geoff_R_Sharp]

Exisiting funding models and ways of funding are simply not designed or effective to really orientate to the needs of the child and community

Changing outcomes is complex deep and hard work you need quality people with deep skills and yet there is no quality framework #icfc

[Geoff Sharp @Geoff_R_Sharp]

Caitlin from @Social_Ventures sharing her work and learnings about how impactful an integrated approach through an
#icfc can be. And how hard it is when you find places that don’t have one as it shows the massive gap where those supports simply aren’t available.

[Geoff Sharp @Geoff_R_Sharp]

Cassy Bishop, Manager, Cairns & Gordonvale Early Years @benevolentAU sharing the lives experience of a centre that exists to orientate around a child and family not make them fit a program

[Geoff Sharp @Geoff_R_Sharp]

The world is changing, culture is changing and it’s time we as a system “grow up” and accept that one size does not fit all #icfc children are in community so we have to respond at that place in appropriate ways with the resources they need #icfc

[Geoff Sharp @Geoff_R_Sharp]

#icfc are about finding the 2 or 3 core people who are “crazy about that kid” because that’s what they need. And it’s about a community that is just as crazy about supporting those who get to be crazy about kids.

@Social_Ventures @D_AccessEcon @MCRI_for_kids

[Geoff Sharp @Geoff_R_Sharp]

Not saying Tim
Moore from @CCCH_AU and @MCRI_for_kids has the biggest brain in the room at the launch of the #icfc report launch but from where I am sitting…