WHAT’S HAPPENING OUT THERE?

At this point some 350 secondary schools have formally expressed their interest in participation, and further expressions of interest continue to be received. Some of these schools have already run workshops in their community. Others have undertaken their training day. Others are still being scheduled for training through October and into November. All schools are keen to hear about the experiences of others, including innovative approaches to structuring the workshop, flexible variations that really got the messages across: and things that worked. Here is some feedback. We will add further ideas and responses on this page as they come to hand.

Parent Induction Program. A north coast high school has run workshops and because of the very positive response they are planning to make the Families Matter workshop a standard element of the Year 7 induction process for all new parents and families next year.

Mapping and Linking with Community Information & Support Services. A workshop raised a lot of information service issues – and the realization that most of those services are already there in their own community. Their forward action plan includes an audit of community information resources and support services, and a school Directory of the services and the contact people, who will be invited in to talk and discuss these issues at future meetings. This has generated a strong sense of empowerment and ownership of the process – the challenge being to ensure that the Directory is kept up to date and made available to new families.

Community Audit Pro-Forma. Note: As a starting point for other schools who seek to carry out such a community audit, a basic “pro forma” can be accessed on this site under Resources and Links. This can be readily adapted for your community. You may also want to map what particular skill and knowledge resources are there among your own parent group – and those available via their community contacts.

“Families Matter” Takes Off in Cooktown. This initiative and the school were given a very supportive write-up in the local paper, which also provided free advertising, raising community awareness and commitment. Sponsorship help to set up and run workshops was gained from many local businesses and individuals, including a childcare volunteer. Planning points coming out of their workshop have been documented and discussed with the Principal, and follow-up meetings are planned to develop these further with a range of guest speakers. Further workshops are also being planned by participants to involve more parents and families, including indigenous community elders and members. The team is enthusiastic about the potential opportunities identified for positive improvements in their school community.

Soup, Flick & Feeders. A West Sydney high school reports very positive experiences, while noting the need for parent presenters to have a high level of confidence in presenting the material – and the vital supporting role of the school staff liaison person. An initial workshop was run for parents from feeder schools who will be joining the school in 2005 – invitations followed by a “ring-around” by one of the parents, a guest speaker from TAFE – and a memorable supper prepared by hospitality students in the school! A follow-on workshop was “soup & flick” – a presentation and a film exploring the topic of resilience. They felt the development of a Community Agency Resource Guide is a great idea – though took up much of the school holiday for the school staff support person: who nobly volunteered to collect and verify the background information!

Website and Wine Labels in Hobart. A school in Tasmania has set up a page on their website to display the Families Matter leaflet and poster: and to provide a bulletin board to keep their community informed about Families Matter workshops and linked community events. As a really innovative idea, they are producing a limited run of “Families Matter Vintage” wine with a local winery, with labels using the Families Matter design with our agreement – initially as commemorative gifts to people and organisations in their community that help them get the Families Matter initiative in operation in their school.

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