This years winner of the Health and Community Services Workforce Innovation Awards, Collaborative Practices Award, was the gr8 START Early Years Partnership, a collaborative team of organisations including Act for Kids.
gr8 START is an alliance of diverse organisations working across health, education, disability services, at risk/vulnerable families, community development and families and childrens services. Established in 2008, the groups focus is to ensure good health and wellbeing and positive educational and developmental outcomes for Gold Coast kids aged 08 years.
Between January and June 2013, seven gr8 START partners, including Act for Kids, collaborated closely on a pilot project to embed the internationally validated, early developmental identification tool PEDS (Parents Evaluation of Developmental Status) in over 30 Gold Coast Children Services. The team trained staff in those centres to use the PEDS tool, enabling them to identify early any children with possible developmental delays, and help parents to access appropriate support services.
The Collaborative Practices Award recognises collaborations between organisations or individuals which lead to more efficient or effective workforce practices. The project wouldnt have been possible without shared expertise and resources. The long-term gain for Gold Coast children will be significant, Act for Kids is proud to be part of such a great team, working alongside Child and Community Health Nurses, Murdoch Research Institute and the Royal Melbourne Childrens Hospital and resourced through Communities for Children and Gold Coast Medicare Local.