Talking possibiliTEAs for Tassie children and families
- May 29
- 3 min read
BY LAUREN MARTIN
For the past 20 years, The Salvation Army has been the Facilitating Partner for the Federal Government’s ‘Communities for Children’ (CfC) program in Logan (Qld), Ingle Farm (SA) and South East Tasmania.
This program engages and supports community partners in delivering programs for children aged 0-12 and their families.
Now, with changes to the program on the way, Salvation Army CfC workers in South East Tasmania have been holding ‘Travelling Tea Parties’ across the region to gain feedback from stakeholders.
Salvation Army Communities for Children Manager Liana Harding said the ‘Travelling Tea Party’ idea was a way to make stakeholder and community engagement less formal and more relational.
Having worked in South East Tasmania communities of Brighton, Derwent Valley, Central Highlands and Southern Midlands for close to 20 years, the CfC team has built strong relationships.
Last year, the Federal Government announced a new approach to programs for children, families and service providers. Liana said it was important for her team to share these changes with the communities that CfC supports.
“We see this new chapter as an exciting ‘opportuniTEA’,” she emphasises, “With a lot of ‘possibiliTEAs’, and as such have been holding tea parties across the region – to sit down and chat with our stakeholders over a cuppa and a biscuit, and hear directly their challenges, queries and aspirations.”
Liana’s CfC colleague, Katrina Higgins, said they have received so much great feedback.
“Some communities are so remote, and we wondered if we were doing enough, but their feedback was, ‘You are here for us when no one else is,’ which is a great affirmation.”
Many of the Travelling Tea Parties have taken place at community halls, cafes and other activities supported by CfC, such as the Ouse Family Fun Day in the Central Highlands, where children also gave feedback on a large sheet of butcher’s paper.
“We added some fun activities,” said Katrina. “Like wooden tea party sets and cake sets for the kiddies, and set up the butcher’s paper on a table and then found that the kids themselves were coming and wanting to contribute … and service providers were there and parents and grandparents, it was really powerful.”
At a Tea Party in Brighton, held at the Tagari Lia Child and Family Learning Centre, people spoke about the importance of human connection and trust, as well as access to high-quality services and trusted local workers.
Through the Travelling Tea Parties, feedback, ideas, challenges, and learnings have been gathered from service providers, community members, families, and local decision-makers.
The Salvation Army’s Communities for Children in Tasmania will collate the information, share it with the community, and use it to inform a potential tender submission for the Federal Government’s new national program when further details are announced.
(Left) The travelling tea party tea-chest has been put together with items from Salvos’s Stores, and personal contributions from CfC and TSA staff, including Grandmother’s treasures handed down and special contributions for community members. (Right) Communities for Children in Southeast Tasmania designed a ‘Travelling Tea Party’ as a relaxed way of meeting with stakeholders to gain feedback on the service.
