The Hon. KAYEE GRIFFIN [9.40 p.m.]: Tonight I acknowledge the outstanding work that St Joseph's Family Services undertake in providing essential community services for parents, children and families in the Port Macquarie region. For many, raising children is an extremely rewarding experience, but it also presents great challenges which can at times become overwhelming for parents and families. The many pressing realities of day-to-day life, such as financial, emotional and relationship pressures, combine with the numerous demands of raising children, all too often place overwhelming pressures on parents and families. Without ongoing assistance these pressures, left unaddressed, can lead to relationship breakdowns and families requiring extra assistance in order to help care for their children during periods of upheaval or change. This takes a distressing toll on all involved.

Fortunately, there are many community-based organisations such as St Joseph's Family Services that can assist in supporting parents and families. With the support of its Voluntary Management Committee, Port Macquarie's St Agnes Parish, and both State and Federal governments, St Joseph's is able to deliver a wide range of services for families in the Port Macquarie area. The Family Support Network is designed to develop family resilience through a range of activities for families and parents of infants and older children. It provides services such as: home visits, supporting parents and carers in their homes to manage with day-to-day parenting issues, practical support and referrals for first-time parents or single parents who may be struggling to adjust to the challenges of parenthood, and the facilitation of parenting workshops allowing parents to gather to discuss and develop their parenting skills as they adjust to changes in personal circumstances.

St Joseph's also operates a number of childcare centres throughout the Port Macquarie region that operate with the support of the Mid-North Coast Inclusion Support Agency, a Commonwealth-funded initiative. The Mid-North Coast Inclusion Support Agency works towards creating an inclusive environment for children and families, with a particular focus on groups that require additional support, including children with a disability, children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, children with refugee or humanitarian backgrounds, and indigenous children.

From humble beginnings in 1973 as a small, single-unit preschool held in the church hall, St Joseph's has steadily increased in size and scope, gradually increasing its facilities to cater for the needs of families and children in the local community. Today St Joseph's provides a wide range of childcare and family support services to hundreds of children and parents. It is thanks to the tireless efforts by committed staff and volunteers that these valuable services are delivered. Providing kids with a sound upbringing and a stable home life relies on the wider support of others. The importance of family, friends and community-based support networks cannot be understated.

Community support services assist families in a practical way and also send the message that our community makes a collective contribution to ensuring the needs of children are met. We have seen evidence of this during inquiries conducted by the Committee on Children and Young People, of which I am proud to be Deputy Chair. Over the years that I have been involved on this committee we have had contact with a number of community organisations striving to improve the support services for families and children. During inquiries, at hearings and on site visits we have seen first hand some of the excellent services these organisations provide for families and children across New South Wales. Indeed the inquiries and reports undertaken by the committee have highlighted the wide range of benefits of these support services available to parents, children and families and the committee has actively sought to develop these through recommendations for and consultation with the Commission for Children and Young People.

The commitment displayed by St Joseph's Family Services and the many other community-based organisations working hard to provide services to families and children in New South Wales is a commitment shared by both State and Federal governments motivating them to find ways to better assist families and carers in delivering high quality care for children. This desire to provide the best resulted in an agreement by the Council of Australian Governments in December last year to a new national quality agenda for early childhood education and care. This represents a significant step forward in the New South Wales Government's efforts to deliver better services and educational and social outcomes for childcare services.

It is fitting tonight during National Volunteer Week that I make special mention of those volunteers who work tirelessly in the field of family and community services volunteering their time and energy freely. I acknowledge their valuable contribution and I sincerely thank them for their hard work and generosity to their communities.