Village Connect: Building Trust and Connection to Support Young Families in the First 2000 Days

Background: Village Connect is a First Nations-led, community-designed pilot supporting pregnant and parenting young people (25 years and under) in South Western Sydney. South Western Sydney is one of Australia’s fastest-growing and most culturally diverse regions, home to more than 1.2 million people. The population is relatively young, with a median age of 35 and a high proportion of families with children. Nearly 40% of residents were born overseas and more than half speak a language other than English at home, reflecting rich multicultural communities. The region is also home to First Nations families with deep cultural connections to Country.

 

While South Western Sydney experiences pockets of socio-economic disadvantage, it also demonstrates strong family, cultural and community networks. These demographic characteristics create both opportunities and imperatives for culturally responsive, inclusive and community-led integrated approaches to early years and family support services with a focus on the first 2000 days of a child’s life. Funded through Department of Communities & Justice "Investment Approach for Social Impact Strategy", with co-funding from NSW Health and NSW Department of Education, Village Connect brings together Karitane, Uniting, and Sonder to deliver wraparound, integrated supports for families who may not access mainstream services. The program aims to build parental confidence, identify concerns early, and reduce the need for tertiary interventions, including entry into the Out of Home Care System.

 

Aim: s: This presentation aims to describe the Village Connect program, highlighting the relational and integrated service model ( government, governance, and service level), family journeys and experiences of the young parents and the role and importance of the peer workforce.

 

Method: Case studies and narrative description of services provided.  Retrospective review of routinely collected service data.

 

Results: Since Village Connect became fully operational in April 2023, Karitane has supported 297 families, Uniting has supported 117, and Sonder has supported 218. The cohort includes 72 First Nations parents, 87 CALD families, and 225 expectant parents. Karitane offers clinical and non-clinical support through playgroups, parenting education, Child and family health nursing, and allied health. Uniting’s Key Worker model addresses social determinants like housing and education, and Sonder provides 24/7 multi-lingual app-based support allowing chat or call with health and wellbeing professionals.

 

The integrated team meets families where they are—physically, emotionally, and culturally—building trust and reducing stigma. A dedicated Systems Navigator strengthens partnerships across health, education, disability, and community sectors, addressing systemic barriers like service complexity and processes.

 

Implications: for Policy and Practice: Village Connect challenges traditional service models by supporting flexible engagement across partners, warm handovers, and shared documentation. Families are not exited due to "missed contacts", and paperwork and outcomes/data gathering are completed at a pace that respects trust-building.

 

Conclusion: Village Connect strengthens parental capacity, builds resilience, and improves child outcomes using trauma-informed, relational, culturally safe care.