Hearing the Voice of the Family: Throw Away the Book

Throughout C4C Bendigo’s operation it has again been highlighted that many families experiencing vulnerability and disconnection are not linked in a meaningful way, or not linked at all, to the range of services and programs that support families, children’s development and pre-school education. We know that the cost of failing to provide timely support to these young families is considerable and often devastating.

There is growing consensus that rather than considering certain families as being hard to reach, we need to think of them as people whom services find difficult to engage and retain. C4C Bendigo saw it as critical to capture the stories of these families so we can hear their voice and understand what will make a difference for them. As a sector we are then charged with the responsibility to raise these voices up to the highest level possible so the unique perspective and recommendation from local families can be heard and used to change practice, policy and service delivery for the better.