Its about the Community Stupid...
This time last year childcare provider ABC children’s services was the biggest provider of childcare in the world, but today the company is in receivership, reputations are in tatters and early years professionals and families are only just having their jobs and care guaranteed after nearly 6 months of uncertainty.
No corner of Australia was left untouched by this corporate failure.
In Tasmania approximately 12 centres faced closure in the lead up to Christmas. Fortunately all but two services were quickly identified as going concerns by the receivers and have had their future guaranteed. Two services, Hobart Airport and Margate were left behind by the corporate world.
Once the announcement was made that the Margate centre was likely to close the community responded. Margate ABC Childcare service workers, their Union and parents vowed to fight for the future of the childcare service. The “Save our Margate Childcare Service” group came together to rescue the Centre, a centre that provides vital long day care and out of school hours care services to over 100 families in the local community.
Within days hundreds of people committed their support for the provider of childcare by signing petitions in the Kingston and Channel area and over 300 people joining a Facebook group.
There was interest in the business and through my current role we assisted those interested companies and receivers to work together to ensure the service continued.
When representing childcare professionals you can never separate their interests from the interests of the children and their families. Childcare professionals are not highly paid and show a tremendous amount of commitment to the children in their care and to the families that rely so heavily on the care
Over the last 10 years the childcare sector has seen massive changes with significant increases in regulation and licensing and more importantly parent expectation, these changes are transforming the sector into a highly qualified and professional one. The transformation impacts on how and who might run a service, it is early development and education in a structured, caring environment so it would be impossible for just anyone to walk in and start operating, it needed to be taken up by an existing service able to provide professional development to staff and meet all of the regulatory and licensing arrangements.
I was inspired by parents like Emma Griffin,
“The Margate community relies so heavily on this service, it is an essential part of our community and that’s why we are working with the staff and the community to fight to save it, my two children attend here and many families that live not only in Margate but also in the surrounding areas use it. We love the staff and they love our kids. There are very few other options for families in the area and we love this service, to lose it would have an enormous impact on families. Please help us fight to save our centre”
The community campaign continued to build massive public support and on Tuesday the 28th of April over 100 people attended a public meeting to hear about the future of the Margate CC Service.
I facilitated the meeting, spoke about the importance of the service and the steps being taken to save it, the meeting also heard from Grandparent and a former ABC employee Jannette Armstrong.
The meeting was a tremendous show of support by the community to the workers and the families that rely so heavily on the quality care provided to children. All tiers of Government were represented. The meeting heard the news that a number of Tasmanian childcare operators were interested in purchasing the service and one operator, Stepping Stones had confirmed an offer had been put. This offer has been subsequently agreed to and the future of the service guaranteed.
It was a cold night in Margate but the community turned up in droves and sent the message that they wanted their service saved, with the union, its members and the parents all working together we were all very focused and very driven.
The show of support from the community was overwhelming for the staff and parents who had fought so hard to keep the service open. Without the community support the possibility of a sale was remote, but with the petitions and the public turnout Margate has shown that the community really supports this service.
I am convinced that by working together we brought about this successful outcome and that is the approach I intend to take into Parliament if I am elected.
No corner of Australia was left untouched by this corporate failure.
In Tasmania approximately 12 centres faced closure in the lead up to Christmas. Fortunately all but two services were quickly identified as going concerns by the receivers and have had their future guaranteed. Two services, Hobart Airport and Margate were left behind by the corporate world.
Once the announcement was made that the Margate centre was likely to close the community responded. Margate ABC Childcare service workers, their Union and parents vowed to fight for the future of the childcare service. The “Save our Margate Childcare Service” group came together to rescue the Centre, a centre that provides vital long day care and out of school hours care services to over 100 families in the local community.
Within days hundreds of people committed their support for the provider of childcare by signing petitions in the Kingston and Channel area and over 300 people joining a Facebook group.
There was interest in the business and through my current role we assisted those interested companies and receivers to work together to ensure the service continued.
When representing childcare professionals you can never separate their interests from the interests of the children and their families. Childcare professionals are not highly paid and show a tremendous amount of commitment to the children in their care and to the families that rely so heavily on the care
Over the last 10 years the childcare sector has seen massive changes with significant increases in regulation and licensing and more importantly parent expectation, these changes are transforming the sector into a highly qualified and professional one. The transformation impacts on how and who might run a service, it is early development and education in a structured, caring environment so it would be impossible for just anyone to walk in and start operating, it needed to be taken up by an existing service able to provide professional development to staff and meet all of the regulatory and licensing arrangements.
I was inspired by parents like Emma Griffin,
“The Margate community relies so heavily on this service, it is an essential part of our community and that’s why we are working with the staff and the community to fight to save it, my two children attend here and many families that live not only in Margate but also in the surrounding areas use it. We love the staff and they love our kids. There are very few other options for families in the area and we love this service, to lose it would have an enormous impact on families. Please help us fight to save our centre”
The community campaign continued to build massive public support and on Tuesday the 28th of April over 100 people attended a public meeting to hear about the future of the Margate CC Service.
I facilitated the meeting, spoke about the importance of the service and the steps being taken to save it, the meeting also heard from Grandparent and a former ABC employee Jannette Armstrong.
The meeting was a tremendous show of support by the community to the workers and the families that rely so heavily on the quality care provided to children. All tiers of Government were represented. The meeting heard the news that a number of Tasmanian childcare operators were interested in purchasing the service and one operator, Stepping Stones had confirmed an offer had been put. This offer has been subsequently agreed to and the future of the service guaranteed.
It was a cold night in Margate but the community turned up in droves and sent the message that they wanted their service saved, with the union, its members and the parents all working together we were all very focused and very driven.
The show of support from the community was overwhelming for the staff and parents who had fought so hard to keep the service open. Without the community support the possibility of a sale was remote, but with the petitions and the public turnout Margate has shown that the community really supports this service.
I am convinced that by working together we brought about this successful outcome and that is the approach I intend to take into Parliament if I am elected.
posted by David at
12:42 AM
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