Voice of the Family

The Voice of the Family (VoF) project is an important way Communities for Children (C4C) Bendigo listens to, learns from, and partners with children, parents, carers, and families. Through our partnership with Noah’s Ark Bendigo, we ensure family voices help shape local services, programs, and decision-making.

“Families have agency” is a key priority in the C4C Bendigo 2022-2026 Community Strategic Plan and is the driving force behind this project.

The Voice of the Family project aims to:

• Place family and children’s voices at the centre of service design, delivery, evaluation, and strategic decision-making.
• Recognise parents and carers as experts in their children’s lives, supporting their confidence, knowledge, skills, and capacity to meet their family’s needs.
• Value and elevate the lived experiences of families to influence how the early years sector responds to community aspirations and needs.
• Promote inclusive practices that ensure all families have opportunities to be heard and participate.

The Voice of the Family Worker supports capacity building across the early years sector by facilitating reflective practice, sharing insights, and helping strengthen family-centred approaches.

A community-based allied health initiative embedded within local playgroups. The program provides accessible, relationship-based support for families with children aged 0-5 years, bringing allied health expertise into familiar and welcoming community settings. The Allied Health in Playgroup project is one outcome of Parent/Carer Lived Experience Interviews conducted by the Voice of the Family Worker in 2025-26.

Through lived-experience interviews with 18 families raising children aged 0-8 years, we explored families’ experiences of accessing local services and supports.

The resulting What Families Say Report provides valuable insights that complement the population-level data presented in the 2024 C4C State of Bendigo’s Children Report, helping to build a deeper understanding of local children’s and families’ experiences.

Listening to children is essential to authentic partnership and family-centred service design.

Each year, the Voice of the Family project delivers activities that amplify the voices of children and families. Recent initiatives include:

VoiceLab 2026
In partnership with Polyglot Theatre and children attending the Y Holiday Program at Lightning Reef Primary School, children explored the question:

“How do you know when a grown-up is really listening?”

The insights gathered through VoiceLab 2026 have been shared across Bendigo’s early years sector and explored through the C4C Early Years Community of Practice, supporting services to strengthen how they listen and respond to children’s voices. Learn more about VoiceLab 2026 here.

C4C 21^st Birthday Video
Leading the production of a community celebration of the C4C initiative over 21 years. Video launch scheduled December 2026.

We welcome opportunities to hear from families, children, community members, and professionals who share our commitment to creating a more family-centred and child-focused Bendigo.

For more information, please contact:

Amanda Lonergan
C4C Voice of the Family Project Worker
Amanda.Lonergan@noahsarkinc.org.au
p: 0438 486 953

Michelle Kenny
Noah’s Ark Operations Manager
Michelle.Kenny@noahsarkinc.org.au
p: 1800 819 140