Co-Designing for Equity: Integrating Services to Address Inequalities through Karitane’s Integrated Child and Family Hubs

Background: Inequities in early childhood outcomes are often compounded by fragmented service systems that fail to meet the complex needs of diverse families. Karitane’s Integrated Child and Family Hubs are place-based initiatives designed to address these inequities by supporting children aged 0–5 and their families through co-designed, community-informed service integration. These hubs aim to reduce barriers to access by embedding services within trusted, culturally safe environments shaped by the communities they serve.

 

Aims: This presentation explores how co-design has been used to drive both physical design and service integration in two distinct Karitane hubs: the Fairfield Integrated Child and Family Hub and the Wolli Creek Hub. These communities are culturally diverse, Fairfield has the highest refugee population in Australia, while Wolli Creek includes many temporary visa holders and emerging migrant families. Both settings present unique challenges and opportunities for inclusive engagement.

 

Approach: We outline the strategies used to embed consumer voice in the design, governance, and ongoing evolution of the hubs, including:

Integrating consumers into governance structures to ensure lived experience informs decision-making.

Capturing the voices of children under five through creative methods.

Partnering with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities to co-design culturally safe environments and services.

 

Engaging families with limited prior service access through targeted outreach and trust-building.

These strategies inform the integration of services across health and social support sectors. Co-design sessions identified key access barriers, such as language, transport, confusion regarding what services did what and having to retell your story, and informed solutions such as embedding service navigation, clinical outreach to soft entry supports and streamlines intake processes.

 

 

 

Results: The co-design process has led to tangible changes in both physical environments and service offerings. In Fairfield, consumer input resulted in the creation of culturally safe spaces, including multifaith rooms, multilingual reading nook and physical spaces to prepare and share food. In Wolli Creek, multilingual signage and flexible service hours and were implemented in response to the needs of working migrant families. Across both hubs, ongoing feedback loops ensure that services remain responsive as community needs evolve.

 

These efforts have resulted in increased service uptake among previously underrepresented groups, improved satisfaction with care, and greater trust between families and service providers. Importantly, the process has empowered families to advocate for their needs and participate in broader community decision-making.

 

Implications: This work demonstrates that authentic co-design is not only a tool for engagement but a catalyst for meaningful service integration that reduces inequalities. By centring the voices of those most affected by structural barriers, Karitane’s hubs have created more inclusive, responsive, and effective systems of care. The presentation offers practical insights for organisations seeking to embed co-design and integration into early childhood and family services.