Warriapendi Child and Parent Centre welcomes families with revamped space

Staff and volunteers at the Warriapendi Child and Parent Centre have welcomed the renovation of the service’s outdoor space, building on the strong community feel of the space for all who visit. 

Each week more than 250 people attend the centre operated by MercyCare for parenting workshops, playgroups, sessions on topics such as financial literacy and other specialist programs or to just connect with support and conversation.

The centre recently used funding from MercyCare’s CEO Innovation Fund to make the space more inviting and the facilities a little more comfortable and functional. The application for the CEO fund encourages staff across the organisation to think creatively and transform their ideas into solutions that will benefit the MercyCare community.

Warriapendi Child and Parent Centre Coordinator Kirsty Maroney’s successful application resulted in a $3000 grant to refresh the outdoor area at the centre and focused on the positive impact and outcomes for the families who use the service.

“Our centre is often the first point of contact for many of our families and in being able to provide an informal and safe environment to build rapport and engage in often difficult dialogues, we identify as an essential component in challenging cycles of significant disadvantages and are committed to making a lasting impact for the betterment of future generations,” she said.

Funding was used to purchase cafe blinds, outdoor furniture and play equipment as well as shelving to better organise items in the centre’s shed. In addition to making the area more attractive, the items also increased the usability of the space.

Along with new seating and some other key additions, users of the space are now more able to make use of the outdoor area. 

To learn more about Mercy Care’s services, please see here.