Thursday, 2 November 2023

 Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (09:43): I rise to update the house on my visit to the Sunshine Playgroup Centre’s supported playgroup session. Last week was Children’s Week, which is a national celebration that recognises the talents, skills, achievements and rights of children, and it was great to be in Sunshine to celebrate Children’s Week with my community. Sunshine Playgroup Centre’s supported playgroup delivers the Smalltalk program, which provides an opportunity for parents to learn new skills that support their children’s wellbeing and development. We know that parents are the most important and influential educators in their child’s life, because children thrive when their parents are supported. Supported playgroups also give parents information about other services and supports in their local community and the opportunity to meet other parents for friendship and mutual support. It was fantastic to talk to the participating parents and see how the program is supporting my community.

Brimbank council have been involved in delivering Smalltalk supported playgroups over many, many years and were one of the original pilot sites involved in the research that developed this program. We know that supported playgroups are a great way to engage parents, and by providing them with high-quality programs like Smalltalk, supported playgroups help parents to build their skills and their confidence. This is why the Victorian government provides $11.4 million annually to deliver supported playgroups in 79 local government areas across the state, providing more than 13,000 parents and around 15,000 children with access to this program. It was my pleasure to visit the Sunshine Playgroup Centre’s supported playgroup and see firsthand the impact the investment is having in my community of Western Metropolitan.