Kids First Annual Report 2021–2022 is now available!

Navigating yet another challenging year, we continued to adapt, innovate, and transform to deliver Australian-first and sector leading programs to strengthen family relationships, support healing and recovery from trauma and set children up for the best start in life.

Our dedicated team provided over 21,000 hours of family support services and guided 800 little learners, enrolled in our Early Years services, on the start of their education journey. We gave children and parents belief, as well as the practical tools to overcome the little, and big bumps they faced as a family – supporting clients through our evidence informed educational, family and support services.

Highlights from this year’s report include:

• Our Early Years Education Program (EYEP)™ - Kindergarten Model, featuring high quality education plus embedded family support services, underwent a second year of evaluations with Murdoch Children’s Research Institute

• We worked with over one hundred young people to co-design an informed and relevant digital program, to help empower young people in making healthy relationship choices

• We undertook a research project in the Wallan community to understand how best to support families in accessing services and partnered with Mitchell Shire Council, FamilyCare and Wellways to launch an Early Help Hub, providing place based integrated services to support families

• Our School Readiness program , founded on trauma informed practice approaches, delivered over 104 training sessions, with a total of 251 hours of contact time

• We expanded our Caring Dads program to work with fathers on community correction and parole orders in a collaborative partnership with the Victorian Department of Justice and Community Safety