Pregnancy and family support service risks closure

Staff say they need community support to raise at least $100,000, or risk closing their doors by the end of the year.

For nearly five decades, the service has provided material aid like free clothing and other essentials for babies and children, along with some support services run by volunteers.

For the past three years, the organisation has employed two practitioners and provided expanded wrap-around services aimed at improving parenting outcomes for mothers and the wellbeing of young children.

The expanded services were funded with $600,000 from the Westpac Safe Children, Safer Communities funding initiative.

But that money has run out, and without help from the community, staff say the entire service will close on December 31.

“I feel really disheartened that we were unable to be successful with some funding. I really want this service to keep going,” pregnancy and early parenting practitioner Natalie Connally said.

Ms Connally said GV Pregnancy and Family Support Service had helped 100 families with material aid so far this year and helped at least 55 women stay with their children through their family support programs over the past three years.

One of the main focuses for the service is early intervention, especially with pregnant people who risk involvement with Child Protection services and possible separation from their infant or young children.

The aim is to divert families away from Child Protection and provide the necessary supports to ensure the safety and wellbeing of both parents and children.

Staff emphasise the importance of offering immediate same-day help, without the need for clients to have a formal referral for services or sit on lengthy waitlists.

For many who approach the group for help with things like clothing, bassinets, and prams, that contact can be used as an entry point to help identify other issues and provide assistance to caregivers and children who may be experiencing family violence, homelessness, or mental health challenges.

The service often acts as a doorway to other supports within the community as well.

Roughly a third of clients receiving family services in the past three years were referred to other organisations for things like housing support, financial assistance, health services and more.

Despite her sadness at the prospect that services may cease at the end of the year, Ms Connally said she still had hope.

“I’m not giving up just yet,” she said.

“I’m not giving up on our community to save us.”

GV Pregnancy and Family Support Service staff pride themselves on offering help to anyone who needs it, as do the many volunteers who keep the service functioning.

They support pregnant people, single parents, grandparents, and other caregivers of children aged zero to six years.

An evaluation of the expanded wrap-around service program showed the service provided help to clients of variable ages, from 16 to 77 years old, over the past three years.

It also indicated that services were provided to people from diverse backgrounds.

Sixteen per cent of clients identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

The majority of clients over the past three years were born in Australia, but a significant portion was born in countries with recent histories of conflict or economic hardship.

“To have anyone be able to come in is really significant in the community,” Ms Connally said.

After nearly 50 years of helping community members in the Shepparton area, Ms Connally said the service is now looking for the community to help them.

She said it would only take 1,500 people donating $100 each to ensure the service could remain open for the entirety of 2025.

To donate or learn more, visit tinyurl.com/4du8t62h