The Early Childhood Agreement for Children in Out-of-Home Care (OOHC) was first developed in 2014 as a shared commitment by the Victorian Department of Education and Training (DET), the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) and Early Learning Association Australia (ELAA) to support young children in OOHC in Victoria, Australia to access key early childhood services. This now reflects a key purpose of the Early Years Compact between DHHS, DET and MAV (the Compact), which is the overarching framework governing the planning and provision of early childhood services in Victoria.
An independent review of the Agreement undertaken in 2016 recommended that it be broadened to include Aboriginal and Community Service Organisations. The parties to the Agreement now include the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA), the Victorian Aboriginal Children and Young People’s Alliance (the Alliance), the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare (the Centre), Community Child Care Association (CCC) and Victorian Aboriginal Educational Association Incorporated (VAEAI). The need for a stronger integration with health has also been recognised and is reflected in the addition of key health partners including the Vic Tas Primary Health Network Alliance (VTPHA) and the Victorian Healthcare Association (VHA). The Agreement has also been updated to emphasise the importance of data sharing and monitoring and reflect policy and legislative changes.
The Agreement complements the Out-of-Home Care Education Commitment, which outlines the shared guiding principles and relevant responsibilities for supporting children and young people in the school system.
The Agreement reflects the shared commitment of the early childhood sector to children who are placed in OOHC. It outlines the requirements and responsibilities of all parties to collaborate to ensure these children have access to high quality early childhood education and care experiences. It also aims to increase the participation of young children placed in OoHC in high quality early childhood education and care.
The following principles guide the delivery and implementation of this Agreement:
- Every child has the right to a safe, nurturing and stimulating childhood with positive relationships and rich and diverse experiences.
- The health, wellbeing and learning needs of a child are all paramount and are reliant on one another.
- Every child is an individual and should be treated as such and have their voice heard.
- All partners share responsibility to work together with carers and community service providers in the best interests of children.
- Service provision for Aboriginal children is driven by the principles of Aboriginal selfdetermination and self-management.
View the agreement and accompanying materials here.
