Parenting professionals resources and links

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities

Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC)
SNAICC is the national body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Services and also provides training and resources for carers of Indigenous children. Phone SNAICC on (03) 9489 8099.

You can find more useful links in our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services article.

Child care and education

Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA)
ACECQA oversees the quality of early childhood education and care throughout Australia.

Early Childhood Australia (ECA)
ECA is the peak national organisation for the early childhood sector. This website has information and resources for professionals working with children from 0-8 years.

Family Day Care Australia
This is the national peak body for family day care services. It’s a member-based non-profit organisation that works to support and promote family day care services.

National Outside School Hours Services Alliance
This is a national body promoting quality programs for school-age children during out-of-school hours.

National Quality Framework (NQF)
The National Quality Framework aims to raise quality and drive improvement and consistency in education and care services in Australia. Beginning in January 2012, the NQF applies to most long day care, family day care, preschool (or kindergarten) and outside school hours care services. The framework is overseen by a new national body – the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA, see above).

Child protection

Australian Childhood Foundation
This non-profit organisation works to support children and families affected by family violence, abuse and neglect. The website has information on counselling, advocacy and research, as well as training programs for parents and professionals.

Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria
The Domestic Violence Resource Centre is based in Melbourne and offers a telephone support and referral service. The website has resources, information and advice on family violence and sexual abuse, as well as a national service directory.

National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN)
This organisation runs a range of programs and education campaigns to prevent child abuse. The website includes downloadable positive parenting resources.

Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities

Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA)
FECCA is the national peak body representing Australians from CALD backgrounds. The website has resources and publications on multicultural issues.

FKA Children’s Services (Victoria)
This organisation works with kindergartens and child care services in Victoria to provide more inclusive environments for people from CALD backgrounds.

Health Care Providers Handbook on Muslim Patients (PDF doc: 94.7kb)
Informed by the Islamic Council of Queensland, this document presents information for professionals who deal with the medical, social and welfare needs of Muslims.

Mental Health in Multicultural Australia
This organisation works to improve mental health in CALD communities. The website has translated mental health resources that mental health professionals can use with clients from diverse backgrounds. There are also links to other translated resources available online.

NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service
This website provides information on a wide range of health topics in 50 different languages including English.

Queensland Health – Cultural profiles
The cultural profiles available on this webpage provide information for health care providers on the communication styles, health, health beliefs and practices, social determinants of health and use of health services of 18 multicultural communities in Queensland.

Other CALD resources and services include Beginning a Life in Australia booklets and the Australian Government Department of Immigration’s Translating and Interpreting Service. And you can find more useful links in our Multicultural services article.

Disability

Association for Children with a Disability
This is an information, support and advocacy organisation for children with disability and their families.

Early Childhood Intervention Australia
This organisation promotes early intervention for infants and young children with developmental delays or disabilities. It runs workshops, seminars and conferences and has a chapter in each state and territory.

Early Choices (Victoria)
Early Choices is a family-centred program that provides case management and support to families caring for a child (0-6 years) with a severe disability and/or very high support needs.

Healthy Start
Healthy Start is a national strategy that aims to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for children whose parents have learning difficulties. It brings together practitioners, managers, researchers and policy-makers to share knowledge, information, resources and expertise.

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
The NDIS is being introduced in stages throughout Australia. If you provide support to families of children with disability, you might be able to register as a disability service provider under the NDIS. Find out when the NDIS is coming to your area at NDIS – Our sites.

National Disability Services (NDS)
NDS is the national industry association for disability services, representing 700 non-government organisations throughout Australia. The website has a directory of services and links to training opportunities for disability workers.

You can find more useful links in our Child and parent disability services article.

Family relationships and family support

Australian Institute of Family Studies
This Australian Government agency conducts research into family issues. The website has research and publications as well as an online library and links to other resources for professionals.

Centre for Community Child Health – Publications and resources
The Centre produces and distributes a wide range of high-quality and evidence-based online resources for parents and professionals who work with families and children.

Child Family Community Australia
This information exchange webpage is hosted by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS). It’s an amalgamation of the National Child Protection Clearinghouse, Australian Family Relationships Clearinghouse, and Communities and Families Clearinghouse Australia.

Family Action Centre
This is an independent research centre based at the University of Newcastle in New South Wales. The Centre runs programs for families. It also publishes and distributes resources for professionals working with families.

Family & Relationship Services Australia (FRSA)
FRSA is the national peak body for family relationship and support services. It seeks to influence government policy and represents the interests of its member organisations and the communities they serve.

Health and wellbeing

Association for the Wellbeing of Children in Healthcare (AWCH)
AWCH is a national organisation advocating for the needs of children, young people and families within the health care system in Australia. This website includes a directory of paediatric support groups and other resources to assist children and their families.

Australian Association for Infant Mental Health
This organisation promotes the importance of infancy in psychosocial development.

Australian Government Department of Human Services – Health professionals
This section of the Department of Human Services website is for health professionals. It has news, forms, policy updates and information about payments and services for health professionals.

Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY)
ARACY works to improve the wellbeing of children and young people. It conducts research and promotes evidence-based practice and policy.

Cochrane
This is an international, non-profit, independent organisation that publishes an online database with up-to-date, accurate information about the effects of health care interventions worldwide.

Joanna Briggs Institute
The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) is an international not-for-profit, research and development organisation within the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Adelaide, South Australia. It aims to give health practitioners the best available evidence to inform their clinical decision-making at the point of care.

University of York – Centre for Reviews and Dissemination
This UK institute provides research-based information about the effects of interventions used in health care. It produces several helpful publications including Effectiveness Matters.

WA Centre for Evidence Informed Healthcare Practice
This centre undertakes a range of practice-oriented research activities to improve the effectiveness of nursing practice and health care outcomes.

You can find more useful links in our Child health and wellbeing services and Mental health services articles.

Parenting services

Early parenting centres
Early parenting centres provide a range of supports to parents of young children. Our article on sleep and settling help for babies and toddlers has a list of early parenting centres across Australia.

Parenting Research Centre (Victoria)
The Parenting Research Centre engages in a range of activities to help parents raise children well.

Safety

Kidsafe
This is the national website of the Child Accident Prevention Foundation. It has links to the Kidsafe website for each state and territory, where you can find information and resources to help prevent childhood injury.