Progress Update – December 2016

It has been over twelve months since Every Child Central Queensland (ECCQ) co-hosted the Better Together – Social Impact and Innovation Conference at Yeppoon and during that time the ECCQ Board has been working hard to establish the foundations necessary to drive our aspirations to improve wellbeing and life outcomes for kids in Central Queensland.

We are in the process of finalising our first Progress Report which will be published and available on the EECQ website in Fearly 2017.

In February 2016 we celebrated the one year anniversary of the official launch of Every Child CQ. Since then, Board Members have travelled throughout the region, hosted over 20 Community Forums and Workshops to test the validity of concerns that have been previously been identified for the region, and have listened to ideas and suggestions from communities about ways forward. These sessions have been very rewarding and have reinforced that we are on the right track.

Our initial analysis of available data, coupled with what our communities have told us throughout the year, has already highlighted some pressing issues relevant to early childhood development, educational achievement, health and happiness, safety, material needs and community participation and inclusion.

In 2017 we will further collect, aggregate, and interrogate available data and undertake some broader community surveying to obtain more usable information that will inform our future direction and action priorities.

Board Members attended several industry and community events throughout the year to speak about Every Child CQ and to gauge from those groups how we might improve the wellbeing of children in practical ways.

We have also engaged with prospective investors (including local companies Capricorn Connect and Clear Water Financial Services) and linked with several like-minded organisations including United Way Australia, Logan Together, The Stanford Institute, Create Pathways (Griffith University), Together SA, QCOSS and the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Young People  (ARACY) who all support similar social innovation projects.

In September 2016 we co-hosted a workshop with QCOSS and CQUniversity around how using collective impact to bring about real social innovation can be tailored for a Central Queensland specific context. We were fortunate to have Dr Michael McAfee join us for the workshop.

Michael is the inaugural director of the Promise Neighborhoods Institute which focuses on building cradle to-career pipelines of education, health, and social supports for children and families in the United States.

We strongly believe ECCQ’s success is based on building a strong foundation and taking the time to ensure we understand the issues of concern for our communities.We have been particularly heartened by the enormous support and goodwill we have received from individuals and groups in our communities, the business sector, health and human service professionals, and many other potential partners.

We have been particularly heartened by the enormous support and goodwill we have received from individuals and groups in our communities, the business sector, health and human service professionals, and many other potential partners.

We have been particularly heartened by the enormous support and goodwill we have received from individuals and groups in our communities, the business sector, health and human service professionals, and many other potential partners.

First Anniversary of the Launch

On 4 February 2015 an exciting initiative named Every Child Deserves Every Chance was launched at an event attended by over 120 community leaders and health and human services professionals. A variety of speakers talked about the importance of ensuring that every child in Central Queensland has the opportunity to reach their full potential and lead a happy, healthy and fulfilling life. We aim to create enduring, systemic change that builds on the efforts of those currently working hard for the benefit of our kids.

Since that time a lot has happened as we lay the foundation to enable us to move forward:

• The ECDEC Community Leadership Board was formed, comprising a diverse group of professionals who have each stepped up to the challenge of using their experience, expertise and networks, to lead this innovative initiative.
• Our name was changed to Every Child Central Queensland to better reflects our intentions.

• The Every Child CQ logo, featured above, was created and a website developed to provide useful resources and news.
• Our introductory video was produced to outline our intentions and it is available on the website and via social media.
• We confirmed our governance arrangements, appointed a Program Manager, implemented robust planning processes and the Board undertook a workshop to finalise strategic planning.
• In December 2015 we joined renowned speakers, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, innovators and other committed professionals at the Better Together Conference in Yeppoon to talk about Collective Impact.
• We’ve strengthened existing partnerships, formed new ones and established relationships with other collective impact initiatives across Australia.
• Stakeholder briefings and partnership development is well underway and we have established international connections.

Inaugural Message from the Chair

On 4 February 2015 an exciting initiative named Every Child Deserves Every Chance was launched at an event attended by over 120 community leaders and health and human services professionals. A variety of speakers talked about the importance of ensuring that every child in Central Queensland has the opportunity to reach their full potential and lead a happy, healthy and fulfilling life.

Since that time a lot has happened as we lay the foundation to enable us to move forward:

• The EDEC Community Leadership Board was formed, comprising a diverse group of professionals who have each stepped up to the challenge of using their experience, expertise and networks, to lead this innovative initiative.
• We underwent a name change when the Board decided the name Every Child Central Queensland better reflects our intentions.

• The Every Child CQ logo, featured above, was created and a website developed to provide useful resources and news.
• Our introductory video was produced and is available on the website.
• We confirmed our governance arrangements, appointed a Program Manager, implemented robust planning processes and the Board undertook a workshop to finalise our strategic direction.
• In December 2015 we joined renowned speakers, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, innovators and other committed professionals at the Better Together Conference in Yeppoon to talk about Collective Impact.
• We’ve strengthened existing partnerships, formed new ones and established relationships with other collective impact initiatives.