A supportive, encouraging early home environment is important in helping children develop a solid foundation for the future.

Our Early Years Support Services programs help families of children from conception to school-age, to strengthen their parenting capacity to support the health, development, learning, cultural identity and well-being of their children.

Koori Families as First Educators (KFFE):

Children need at least one strong, dependable and nurturing relationship for healthy development and to develop their social, emotional and cognitive skills.

KFFE is a parent education and support program. Our trained KFFE staff work with Aboriginal families to give parents the tools they need to be their child’s first strong educators.

Once you are registered with KFFE, you will be eligible for our Early Years Group Programs:

Indigenous Triple P (Positive Parenting Program)

The Indigenous Triple P Program helps you to manage the day-to-day challenges of parenting by giving you the practical skills you need to care for your child. Through the Program you will:

• Get along better with your kids and argue less
• Set family routines and rules that work for you
• Learn to manage problem behaviour and to recognise and encourage positive
• Build a happier, safer and more supportive family so that you can be the parent you want to be

Circle of Security

The Circle of Security Program is parent-child focused and designed to assist parent to provide their children with the emotional support needed to develop secure attachments and resilience, preparing them for school.

We can also support you and your family through other programs including:

• Koori Maternity Services
• Maternal and Child Health Service (care for mums and bubs after birth)
• Early Learning programs (playgroups and school readiness)

If you would like more information about any of these programs or you'd like to get involved, please contact the MDAS Early Years Teams in Mildura or Swan Hill.

Integrated Family Services:

Integrated Family Services (IFS) provides specific support to Aboriginal families, through a comprehensive range of services and approaches including:

• Identification of pathways and key transition points that focus on earlier intervention and diversion to prevent families’ progression into the statutory child protection system
• A strengths-based approach to a needs and risk assessment to ensure the provision of appropriate, intensive, multidisciplinary responses.

Aboriginal Family Preservation:

The Aboriginal Family Preservation Program works intensively with families who've been referred by Child Protection, over 12 weeks, with the aim of family preservation or reunification.

The Program provides an intensive, short-term service aimed at strengthening the ability of families to protect and care for their children, thereby preventing the need for placement in out-of-home care.

Where it has been necessary for a child or young person to be placed away from the family home, the program works to facilitate safe reunification.

Aboriginal Stronger Families:

Stronger Families provides an integrated placement prevention and family reunification service, providing intensive case work support to vulnerable children and families for up to 12 months, together with specialist therapeutic care and early parenting and specialist infant support.

Services work with parents to address underlying issues that may lead to, or that have resulted in the need for their child to be placed in out-of-home care, and to build capacity of parents to safely care for their children.