The Early Years Partnership

The Early Years Partnership is a commitment to creating lasting change. By working differently with communities and putting children and their families at the centre of decisions, we’re improving children’s health, development and learning from conception to the age of four.

The Partnership builds on communities’ strengths, assets and knowledge to establish evidence-informed solutions that meet local needs.

We recognise that children are born into families, families live in communities and communities are impacted by state and federal government systems and policies. Therefore, change is required at all levels.

The Early Years Partnership is a partnership between the WA state government and Minderoo Foundation. The Partnership is overseen by a Board with Independent Executive Co-Chairs and representatives from the state government, Minderoo Foundation, and the Commissioner for Children and Young People. The Australian government supports the Early Years Partnership via the Connected Beginnings Program.

At a state government level, the key agencies are the Departments of Communities, Health and Education.

Our four partner communities are in metropolitan, regional, remote and very remote areas. They currently include Armadale West, Bidyadanga, Central Great Southern (including Shires of Katanning, Kojonup, Gnowangerup and Broomehill-Tambellup) and Derby (including Mowanjum and Pandanus Park). Each selected community is a critical partner, involving local leaders and community members, and service providers from government and non-government sectors.

The Early Years Partnership brings together community leaders, state and federal government, and philanthropy to achieve better outcomes for Western Australian children and their families.

With a commitment to listen and work collaboratively with communities, the partnership aims to create lasting change for WA children. We’re doing this by increasing awareness about the importance of early development, strengthening whole-of-community governance and collaboration, providing the best data and evidence and mobilising resources at the community, state, and federal levels.

In doing so, Early Years Partnership communities are supported to identify the main enablers and barriers to children thriving in their communities, co-design agreed and targeted community plans and test, trial and learn from evidence-based solutions.

• Putting children, families and communities at the heart of everything we do.
• Listen and act upon the wisdom of families, communities and their children.
• Value the community’s strengths, assets, and knowledge.
• Take a place-based approach; community is at the core.
• Try, test, learn and improve – again and again.
• Building trust through equal partnership.

The EYP has evolved from establishment and co-design to early delivery and initial impact, with initial evaluation led by The Kids Research Institute Australia (The Kids) and now coordinated by the Centre for Evidence and Implementation (CEI).

• The EYP model lays strong foundations through governance, partnerships and building community trust.
• Impact is demonstrated through improvements to service coordination and access in every EYP community.
• Delivery has the strongest impact when initiatives are co-designed with community, delivered through local trusted providers, and supported by strong First Nations leadership and cultural governance.
• Stronger family engagement and trust.

• Data demonstrating change.
• Impact stories from families, service providers and communities.
• Evaluation of programs and projects demonstrating viability (or not) to learn quickly and adapt where needed.

• The Dental Health Project in the Central Great Southern shows 85 per cent of young children have been screened and 49 surgeries completed locally.
• Central Great Southern has seen a significant increase in attendance at Kindilink by First Nations families since the introduction of the Minderoo-funded EYP transport service.
• In Pandanus Park, immunisation is at 100 per cent due to the co-funded transport service enabling connections to child health nurses and early years services.

• Community Connectors who are the cultural bridge between families and services.
• First Nations leadership which is central to cultural safety, trust and engagement.
• Funding that responds to local needs.
• Innovation funding that provides flexibility.
• Strong partnerships between government, philanthropy and the partner communities.