Connected Beginnings Program

Overview

Connected Beginnings is part of the Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme (IAHP). This is a targeted non-competitive grant opportunity to provide organisations with an opportunity to renew Connected Beginnings funding for up to three years from 2019-20 to 2021-22, to provide continuity in integrating early childhood services in their communities. The Department of Health and the Department of Education and Training are working together on separate components of the Connected Beginnings Program. Connected Beginnings focusses on integrating early childhood, maternal and child health, and family support services in a number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities so that their children are healthy and well prepared for school. The Department of Education and Training is funding Education Lead Agencies that will integrate local early childhood maternal and child health, and family support services, through a Collective Impact approach. This includes elements such as coordination, formalised governance arrangements, and community engagement and training. For more information on the Education component, please refer to the Connected Beginnings – Education Programme Guidelines 2016. The integration of early childhood, maternal and child and family support services by the Connected Beginnings Program aims to reduce the disparity of education outcomes between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their non-indigenous peers by addressing service fragmentation, early identification of issues, and timely access to needed services that can be delivered in a more holistic manner.