$20m partnership will boost outcomes for children in Adelaide’s northern suburbs 

The South Australian government has announced a partnership with the Minderoo Foundation that will deliver improved outcomes for children and their communities in Adelaide’s northern suburbs.

The $20 million, 10-year commitment jointly funded by the State Government and Minderoo will see the Children in the North Alliance promote lasting change through long term investment and support across a range of projects and initiatives.

Led by communities directly, the partnership will operate on the foundational principle that a different approach is needed to change the trajectory of people’s lives, in settings where persistent disadvantage is holding too many children, families and communities back.

“We know that local communities and families know what they need, and when we empower them to decide and take practical action, we have the potential to see lasting change for the better,” SA Premier Peter Malinauskas said.

The Alliance will focus on place-based approaches, where geographical communities partner with governments, business and other stakeholders to co-design innovative responses to improve the health, development, social and emotional wellbeing of their children.

This new approach is already underway at Davoren Park through the Swallowcliffe Children’s Precinct — surrounding Swallowcliffe Primary School — where local leaders have come together to work with local families to plan and implement new initiatives to support children.

Local community leaders have worked with Government agencies to plan and put in place new initiatives to support children, including the introduction of children’s nurses at Swallowcliffe Primary School, health checks at the Swallowcliffe Pre-School, and a Kids Club to provide free after school and holiday activities.

These activities have highlighted the importance of relationships, to provide opportunities for improved health, happiness and fun.

Placing children’s nurses from the Lyell McEwin Hospital at the primary school two days each week has resulted in consultations and on-the-spot care for almost 50 children and their families, while also facilitating additional health support for 30 of them.

This type of approach, Minderoo Foundation executive director Communities, Penny Dakin said, is the kind which has the potential to break cycles of adversity. 

“We need to tackle issues at their root cause and the most effective way to do this is by empowering communities to lead the way,” she said.

“This means putting local communities at the heart of efforts to build a better future for Australian children and their families. Taking a place-based approach, in which government and philanthropy listen, understand and are led by communities, empowers them to create opportunities for every child to thrive.”

Building on the success of the work at Swallowcliffe, the Alliance will continue to focus on supporting local communities by listening to the voices of families and children, to prioritise and deliver the solutions that will work for them.

Each program delivered under the Alliance will be evaluated to learn what works best, with the aim that in the longer term, innovation and targeted assistance can help all children and all communities in South Australia, and across the nation, to thrive.

The Children in the North Alliance is understood to be one of the only long-term contracts between the government and a major philanthropic body to support children’s outcomes in the nation’s history.