Mid Murray Family Connections (MMFC)

Click here to visit MMFC Website

Mid Murray Family Connections is a collaboration of Government and non-Government agencies and passionate community members that support those living in the Mid Murray Council region. This group was formed in August 2013 in response to the 2012 Australian Early Development Census data which highlighted the Mid Murray region as having the second highest proportion of developmentally vulnerable children in South Australia. Mid Murray children were assessed on five domains including:

Physical health and wellbeing
Social competence
Emotional maturity
Language and cognitive skills
Communication skills and general knowledge

The Alarming Statistics for Children in Mid Murray

In order to improve the wellbeing of children in the region, the Mid Murray Family Connections Network gained the support of state-wide agencies such as Together SA and Community Centres SA.

2021 saw a slight increase to 28% of children vulnerable on one or more domain and 17% of children vulnerable on two or more domains, this is thought to be due to impacts from covid 19. The MMFC team will continue to work on improving developmental outcomes across the region with a variety of initiatives delivered, guided by the results of the data and the vital on the ground knowledge from our MMFC partners.

The 2012 results showed that almost half (44%) of our children were vulnerable in one domain, and one in three of our children were vulnerable on two or more domains. The 2015 data highlighted some minor improvements, with 41% of children identified as developmentally vulnerable on one or more domains and 19% developmentally vulnerable on two or more domains. The 2018 data showed a vast improvement for Mid Murray Children with a reduction to 26% of children vulnerable on one or more domains and a decrease to 11% of children vulnerable on two or more domains. This is wonderful news for the Mid Murray Community.

Working together we have developed a Community Accountability Plan with the desired outcome:

Children in the Mid Murray enjoy positive wellbeing and emotional maturity.

The Mid Murray Family Connections Network decided to focus their efforts on targeting the emotional maturity domain in order to reduce the number of developmentally vulnerable and at-risk children. By working on Emotional Maturity, it is expected that there will be a flow-on effect that will impact the other developmental domains as well.

The Community Accountability Plan was launched on 27^th October 2016 and reflects the commitment of the Mid Murray Family Connections Network to support families so that children’s wellbeing is prioritised across all developmental stages. This will ensure that children are provided with the best start in life. The plan follows the Result Based Accountability™ (RBA) Population Accountability methodology and the Collective Impact framework has been developed with the input of a wide range of community stakeholders.

The four result areas focus on children aged from Conception to 8 years:

Children and their caregivers share strong attachment (age Conception – 2 years)
Children are emotionally resilient (ages 2 – 5 years)
Children are engaged learners (ages 5 – 8 years)
Children and their caregivers are safe and supported (age Conception – 8 years and their families)

To view the 2020 - 2022 Community Accountability Plan click here.
To view the 2016 Community Accountability Plan click here.
To view the summary brochure click here.
To find services, supports, events and family focussed activities in your area go to the Mid Murray Family Connections community services directory.

The purpose of this Community Accountability Plan is to guide the work of the Mid Murray Family Connections Collective Impact initiative. It clearly states the desired outcome, the indicators that will be used to measure the progress as well as the strategies to be explored and implemented. As a living document, the Plan will be reviewed and adjusted regularly as progress is made.

The group recognises that this is an extremely difficult task that requires shared responsibility from all sectors of the Mid Murray community, as well as the long term commitment from all stakeholders, to be able to produce large scale and long lasting results.

How Can You Be Involved in Reversing the Trend for Children in the Mid Murray Region?

Passionate community member participation is vital to the success of the MMFC network, so we would welcome your expertise regarding the needs of your community.
Your organisation has a particular role to play in this
We want YOU to be involved in joining this leadership group
With powerful leaders and supportive agencies, we believe a WHOLE OF COMMUNITY RESPONSE can be formed, and a collective impact can be made to change the lives of our children, and our communities.

For further information contact the Mid Murray Family Connections Coordinator: 8569 0100

MMFC Network Meetings 2022

Please contact the MMFC team on 8569 0100 for dates, times and locations.

News

In 2022 Mid Murray Family Connections in partnership with Mid Murray Council Libraries launched a new toy library which is available at both Blanchetown and Morgan libraries. This will assist families to access educational toys, puzzles and games help to bring families together through play. This is a fantastic opportunity for families to try new toys and change them regularly to maintain interest and suitability for the rapidly changing developmental needs of young children. It also gives families a place to connect with others in a fun and educational environment. For more information have a look at the Mid Murray Toy Library tab on our website.

The Mid Murray Family Connections (MMFC) Collective Impact initiative won the Community Partnerships and Collaboration Award at the Local Government Professionals Australia SA 18th Annual Leadership Excellence Awards Gala Dinner in Adelaide on Friday, 17 May. The award recognises six years of work by up to 60 community partner organisations, spearheaded by the Mid Murray Council, to dramatically improve the quality of life and future opportunities for local children from birth to age eight.

Mid Murray Mums closed facebook group now has 289 parents supporting each other through social media.

Launch of Mid Murray Mums Mid Murray Mums poster

National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) Award Ceremony 2017 at Mannum Community College - A thank you to Service Providers who help keep our families safe

NAPCAN Award Ceremony 2017 at Mannum Community College

NAPCAN Award Ceremony 2017 in Adelaide - MP Adrian Pederick, Deputy Mayor Kelly Kuhn, Joy Marks from Mannum Community College, Robyn Dunstall Acting Director of Community Services, Jane Barnett and Kiran King Mid Murray Family Connections