Everybody needs good neighbours
There are more than 100 neighbourhood centres around the state offering support to Queensland families. The George Street Neighbourhood Centre in Mackay is one of them.
At George Street everyone can develop new skills, build self esteem and interact with others in the community. Centre manager Noela Sneyd says neighbourhood centres are unique because they respond to the needs of their local communities.
"Our community workers are available for information and referrals, support, community education and community development," she says. "We offer friendship groups and adult literacy programs. Since we opened the Shakespeare Child and Family Centre in 2008 — the first of 10 new Early Childhood Education and Care Centres to open statewide — we have been able to support Mackay families with parenting programs, playgroups and family support programs."
Noela says parents are looking for support from people who have had similar experiences. "Many of our families are socially isolated as they arrived from elsewhere to work in the mines and don't have family or friends close by," she says. "We have trained volunteers who can offer practical and emotional support and link parents with playgroups and other community activities and services."