Stay informed and connected with the latest updates from Thriving Queensland Kids Partnership. Join us in our collective efforts to create lasting, positive change right across Queensland so that every child and young person, their families, and our communities can thrive – now and into the future!
In this edition:
Convenor's update
Governance update
In the spotlight: Thriving Kids in Disasters (TKiD) Initiative
TQKP backbone team update
TQKP initiative and activity updates
Partner and sector news
Opportunities
Resources
Get involved
Convenor's update
TQKP Convenor, Michael Hogan
Welcome to the latest TQKP e-news! We are pleased to share with you – as Queensland ‘Gets Ready’ for another disaster season – a deep dive into the Thriving Kids in Disasters Initiative, thanks to the support of the John Villiers Trust and the involvement of dozens of collaborators from across communities, governments, not-for-profits and universities.
We are also thrilled to launch consultations on our ambitious Phase 3 Strategy, along with our new website. There are also short updates on our other collective initiatives and some great recent resources worth sharing.
Many thanks again to all our partners, collaborators, and networkers for bringing your aspirations for young Queenslanders and for the systems that support them and their families and communities to thrive.
A brand new website for TQKP!
We're excited to share that TQKP now has its own website, which will greatly improve our ability to connect with partners, collaborators, and networkers across Queensland and to share the progress of the initiatives and projects we are working on.
Launching alongside a fresh new online presence for both ARACY – Every Child Thriving and the ARACY-hosted Investment Dialogue for Australia's Children (IDAC), the three websites are designed to provide a seamless experience for visitors seeking information, resources, news, and networking opportunities focused on improving the wellbeing of Australia's children and young people and their families and communities. Visit tqkp.org.au and start exploring today!
TQKP Phase 3 Draft Strategy released for consultation
We are a growing partnership of people and organisations committed to every Queensland child and young person thriving. Our vision is that we can achieve this within one generation, and we’re mapping a path to get there.
The first five years (2025-2030) of our draft strategy has six portfolios of work that together will change systems, and we’d love you to get involved. After three months of collective learning, sense-making and decision-making, we are eager for you to further shape it. We want to create a movement. We want you to join us. We’d love your feedback.
TQKP welcomes independent Management Board Chair, Jane Yacopetti
TQKP welcomes independent Management Board Chair, Jane Yacopetti
We're delighted to announce the appointment of Jane Yacopetti as the new independent Chair of TQKP's Management Board, who commenced in the role this month. Jane is an experienced senior health executive who has spent a large part of her career working in organisations delivering services to children and young people, in both the private and public sectors. This experience gives her valuable insight into the challenges involved in delivering integrated and effective services.
Having held executive roles in large tertiary health institutions in Australia and built a successful consulting company working both nationally and internationally, Jane brings to TQKP a deep understanding of the governance systems and processes necessary to deliver such outcomes.
In welcoming Jane, we also express our heartfelt thanks to Sara Parrott for steering the Management Board with wisdom and skill over the past ten months as interim Chair. During this time, Sara has overseen the Chair recruitment process facilitated by Directors Australia, as well as the initiation of the development of TQKP’s Phase 3 Strategy and draft investment proposals. Resuming her regular Mangagement Board duties, Sara continues to provide invaluable guidance and support to the backbone team.
Introducing the newest TQKP Management Board members
Andrew Chesterman
Andrew has an extensive background in strategic leadership and public administration, and a long association with leadership roles associated with building better communities and a more sustainable environment. Since 2012, he has held Commissioner/CEO/Director-General positions within the public sector and most recently was the CEO at Redland City Council from 2017 to 2024. He is currently the President of Local Government Managers Australia (Qld) and a member of the CEO Institute.
As the Queensland Public Service Commission CEO, Andrew garnered support from all Directors-General in the Queensland Government to raise departmental awareness and implement workplace strategies to respond to domestic and family violence. He also personally initiated the government's involvement in the Queensland Male Champions of Change program and commenced its first Diversity and Inclusion Strategy. In 2017, he initiated Redland City Council’s first Reconciliation Action Plan and drove its implementation.
Prue Warrillow
Prue Warrilow is the CEO of ARACY–Every Child Thriving. She has a distinguished background in child and youth policy and service delivery, having served as interim CEO of Youth NSW and founded Families At Work.
With over 30 years of experience consulting in work/life wellbeing strategies for corporate, government, and non-profit sectors in Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore, Prue brings unique insights into human resources, diversity, and governance.
Her leadership roles include Chair of Families Australia and the Y NSW, and she actively participates in state and federal advisory councils influencing child and family wellbeing policies. Prue’s dedication to enhancing children's lives is reflected in her extensive contributions to public policy and her strategic, solution-oriented approach to her work.
Convenor's update
In the spotlight: Thriving Kids in Disasters (TKiD)
In the past five years alone, significant weather events and related disaster activations have impacted up to 1.6 million children and young people who call Queensland home. The Thriving Kids in Disasters (TKiD) initiative is focused on ensuring that the disaster responses being developed and rolled out across our state consider the needs and resilience of every child.
Phase 1 of TKiD delivered a report synthesising current research, policy, and community and practitioner wisdom to inform a series of principles and recommendations to better equip our systems to support kids in disasters. From mid-2024, the second phase of TKiD is aimed at transforming this evidence base into action by harnessing the momentum of NGO, government, philanthropic, and research collaborators across Queensland and further afield.
TKiD Leadership Alliance
The TKiD Leadership Alliance is a coalition of organisations who have come together to codesign an Action Plan of funding-ready propositions based on TKiD report recommendations. This passionate group of leaders are working to amplify and embed great work already happening in Queensland and to innovate new ideas to address gaps and realise opportunities.
To find out more or get involved, contact Jacinta Perry, TKiD Lead.
This edition’s Partner Spotlights detail some of the great work already underway from TKiD Leadership Alliance members.
Birdie's Tree
As we head into summer, now is a good time to be thinking about how we keep our babies and young children in mind in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.
Birdie’s Tree supports the emotional wellbeing and resilience of babies, young children, and families through natural disasters. Birdie and Mr Frog learn how to prepare for, cope with, and recover from floods, fires, pandemic, and other disruptions. Read their stories, play games, watch videos, access toys and puppets, and find other resources, at the Birdie’s Tree website.
Pillowcase Project
We know that by involving kids in disaster preparedness, we can help build their resilience and self efficacy. The Pillowcase program at the Australian Red Cross supports kids aged 8-10 with learning about emergency readiness and age-appropriate stress management skills.
Over a 60 minute workshop, each child is given a pillowcase on which they can draw the belongings they would take if faced with an evacuation. Kids are encouraged to be emergency advocates in their households and share their newfound skills and knowledge with their families and communities.
UniSC/Kidsafe/Australian Breastfeeding Association
Babies need a safe space for every sleep, including in disasters. Researchers and leaders from UniSC, Kidsafe and the Australian Breastfeeding Association have recently developed a best practice resource to support caregivers to provide safe sleep environments in evacuation settings. You can access the guide here and a suite of other babies in disasters resources here.
Webinar Series: Words into Practice
Come along to our TKiD Words into Practice webinar series over the coming months to learn about innovative, well-informed, practical ways to collaborate with, support, and engage infants, children, young people, and their care givers in disaster management (PPRR) and climate resilience activities and programs. To find out more, contact Anita Egginton, TKiD Project Officer, anita.egginton@aracy.org.au
New research: A Discussion on the many ways water affects early childhood development and wellbeing
As climate change impacts escalate, the impacts of systemic inequities in water access are becoming more apparent. A new working paper from the Harvard Centre on the Developing Child details the significant and far reaching impacts of water security on childhood development, health, and wellbeing.
TQKP backbone team update
Welcoming our newest colleagues
Convenor's update
Tahlia Arnold, Executive Assistant
Joining TQKP in September, Tahlia brings over a decade of experience across administration, communications, marketing and development to her new role as TQKP's Executive Assistant. We're delighted to welcome Tahlia to the team.
Lachlann Carter, TKiD Consultant
Lachlann Carter has joined the team to support the design and delivery of our upcoming TKiD Youth Engagements. Lach brings a wealth of knowledge regarding creative co-design with young people and children, and we are thrilled to have him on board.
TQKP initiative and activity updates
Convenor's update
Thriving Kids Brain Buiders Initiative
The Thriving Kids Brain Builders Initiative, led by UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) with a growing range of partners and collaborators, continues to build the foundations for scaling and embedding ‘neuro-informed’ policy and practice across Queensland.
This is underway through a suite of innovative workforce, organisational, curricular, place, and community initiatives. Recent achievements include:
Joint facilitation of the first year of the popular Brain Builders Community of Practice with the Children’s Health Queensland Project ECHO team (see here)
Extensive sector engagement through the Ian Potter Foundation funded Neuro in ECD initiative
Commencement of a Brain Health in Schools initiative funded by the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation
A Collaborative Curricular Review initiative is underway across faculties at QUT, UniSC and TAFE Qld
Presentations at forums such as the Early Childhood Australia Conference, and
Extensive involvement in the TQKP-led Enabling Workforces and Organisations initiative, funded by the Queensland Mental Health Commission.
Find the Neuro-informed Policy and Practice Framework and Evidence Brief here.
Canada–Australia knowledge exchange
From July 9 to 12, 2024, the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative (AFWI) travelled to Queensland for a series of presentations about the Brain Story and Resilience Scale Framework.
The six presentations delivered by AFWI founder and patron, Nancy Mannix, reached over 800 attendees, including clinicians, community leaders, educators, and policymakers. Topics included the application of the Resilience Scale in clinical practice, community initiatives, Indigenous communities, and disaster recovery.
"Our visit reinforced our shared commitment with the TQKP to build resilient communities," said Claire Niehaus, Scientific Associate at AFWI. "This collaboration continues to leverage our collective expertise for a positive impact on lifelong health outcomes."
Early Childhood Australia National Conference
TQKP and ARACY colleagues were delighted to participate in the recent Early Childhood Australia National Conference in Brisbane, alongside many of our partner organisations. UQ's Queensland Brain Institute presented an insightful session on "Serve-Return-Rally-Learn," exploring strategies to support children's brain development through play. Marisa Phillips from The Benevolent Society joined TQKP's Sophie Morson in a presentation on the benefits of child and family hubs and what to consider when planning and setting up hubs in your own context.
Thriving Kids Strategic Framing Initiative
The Framing Champions Group and Framing for Change Community of Practice continue to have rich conversations around how our narratives and messages have the power to shift public understanding, generate support for better policies, and engage the whole community in our work. Topics covered recently have included framing children's rights; framing the benefits of the arts for children and young people; and framing issues during an election period. These opportunities to connect enable us to support and learn from each other, troubleshoot together, and put into practice the recommendations for what we already know works, all in a collaborative and open atmosphere.
Join us! Email TQKP@aracy.org.au for our upcoming Community of Practice dates.
New resources for framing
With support from Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC) and FrameWorks Institute, we co-developed two new mini-toolkits: Reframing the Early Years; and Reframing Youth Issues, both published in July 2024.
We love seeing good framing in practice! Check out the Juiced TV episode for Mental Health Week below. Listen out for the tested metaphors, and the recognition that 'what surrounds us shapes us'—a key principle in framing child development, health, and wellbeing. Let us know if you find other great examples to share.
TQKP Strategy Planning Retreat
In August, TQKP's Leadership Table, Management Board, philanthropic and co-delivery partners, and backbone team came together for an intensive strategy planning retreat.
Over two days of deep listening, reflection, defining key areas for action, and co-creating solutions, together we mapped out our shared ambitions for what it will take for every Queensland child and young person to thrive!
The workshop mapped out a 25-year vision and a five-year horizon agenda across six proposed ‘portfolios’ to form the focus of Thriving Queensland Kids Partnership in its next phase of collaborative work.
These discussions were rich with different perspectives and lived experience, not only of the many incredible leaders and changemakers who so generously gave their time and wisdom to participate in the retreat or who provided their written input if unable to attend, but of the young people who provided valuable guidance on our draft strategy, and the First Nations leaders among us who shared their personal stories to help bring us closer to understanding the lived effects of systems and the importance of genuine, coordinated, and collective change.
Many thanks to everyone who has been leaning in over recent months to help shape the shared roadmap that has emerged from this collaborative process. You can now review and submit your feedback on the draft strategy at https://tqkp.org.au/2025-2030-strategy-consultation/
We look forward to continuing this important work together!
Convenor's update
Partner and sector news
Convenor's update
Putting Queensland Kids First Plan
The state government's final Putting Queensland Kids First plan (PQKF) was released on June 2, including $501 million investment in Queensland children and their families. This is a great win for Queensland kids, families, and communities.
The plan responds to TQKP's call for a new whole-of-community, cross-sectoral early years plan by mid-2024 as part of the ECD Better Systems Roadmap.
Other suggested investments of the roadmap that PQKF has responded to include:
$83.64M for sustained health home visits and antenatal care and support
$71.4M for enhanced child health development checks and $56.55M enhanced child development services in priority locations
$29.4M for early childhood coordinators within existing child, family and community services
$26.3M to extend free 4-year-old kindy for up to 30hr/week in discrete communities
$67.33M behaviour specialists in priority primary schools
$42.66M family support coordinators in primary schools to support transitions
$20M for family and early years school-based hubs in Aurukun and Kowanyama
$10.73M for health practitioners in 20 priority primary schools
$29.31M for housing support for First Nations families and young parents.
Queensland Trauma Strategy
The Queensland Trauma Strategy 2024-2029 was released in late September. The strategy promotes a whole-of-government and community effort to embed trauma-informed practices across Queensland. Its goal is to ensure early, appropriate support for individuals, families, and communities.
Achieving a trauma-informed Queensland requires collaboration between government and community, with a focus on preventing trauma, providing accessible support early, enabling people and communities who have experienced trauma to explore what healing means to them, and enabling reform to strengthen the systemic enablers for change.
The strategy prioritises the needs of people in regional and remote areas, leveraging community strengths to provide adaptable, consistent care when and where it's needed.
We're pleased to see the extent to which this strategy has drawn on the voices, evidence, and experience of Queenslanders, as well as what has been shown to work in other jurisdictions.
Along with many others, TQKP participated in the consultation process which led to the development of this strategy. Alongside many others, we proposed a comprehensive, life-course approach emphasising prevention, healing, resilience, and recognition of systems-related trauma. You can read our submission here.
We look forward to working with our partners and collaborators in support of this comprehensive and compelling strategy, and we encourage all parties, all systems, all agencies, and all sectors to support its implementation.
New state government funding available for community groups to support Queensland kids
The Queensland Government announced a boost to community-led early intervention and prevention initiatives—a signature policy under the Putting Queensland Kids First plan.
The first $5 million round of the $15 million partnership fund has opened for expressions of interest, for grants between $500,000 and $1.5 million.
This funding will be used to deliver prevention and early intervention initiatives in communities around the state, supporting children and families according to need. This could include support for pregnant people, newborns, infants, and young children.
NGOs, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations, are eligible to apply to deliver these supports for children in partnership with local communities.
It’s expected that successful initiatives will contribute to children and families making positive shifts in one or more of the plan’s outcome areas, such as health, learning, safety and connection, housing, and empowerment of First Nations families.
This initiative is aimed at delivering place-based and targeted interventions that respond to the unique needs of communities.
Infants and Toddlers: Practice, Pedagogy and Research Conference
"Learning Together Across Contexts and Communities"
This conference is a chance for infant-toddler practitioners, researchers, students and stakeholders to come together over two days to engage in professional dialogue about aspects of infant-toddler learning and professional practice.
Queensland Mental Health Commission’s annual two-day forum for leaders in Queensland’s mental health, alcohol and other drugs, suicide prevention and associated human services sectors, the summit is an opportunity to develop a collective position around reform priorities for the next 1-5 years, grounded in best practice and contemporary evidence.
Country Collaborative members, Carly Grubb and Jeanine Young from Little Sparklers, contributed to this great piece published by the ABC on infant sleep, parenting expectations, and different approaches to supporting parents.
Other resources
Emergency resource collection online launch
The Australian Breastfeeding Association will launch its new online resources for parents, caregivers, emergency workers, and health professionals in a webinar on Thursday 14 November at 7pm AEDT. These resources provide best practice advice for how to prepare for, respond to, and recover from a range of emergencies while caring for infants and toddlers.
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