About the Group

The Stronger Families Alliance (SFA) is convened by the Blue Mountains City Council and is a network of government, non-profit and voluntary organisations working together to bring friendship, fun and professional support to Blue Mountains families.

SFA members harness the latest scientific evidence about ways to solve complex problems such as child abuse and neglect, social isolation, obesity, poor school achievement and the literacy divide. Central to our philosophy is the use of collective impact, which brings together many diverse people and organisations in the search for lasting solutions.

Purpose/Goals

The SFA aims to achieve multi-stakeholder representation of all organisations and networks in the Blue Mountains who impact on child development. Its primary focus is implementation of the Child and Family Plan, a 10-year blueprint for the coordinated development of government, community and voluntary organisations working with children and families. The Plan has 3 parts - Strengthening Families through Neighbourhood Service Networks, Moving Children and their Families Beyond Vulnerability, and Creating Child-friendly Communities.

Activities

The SFA initiatives for service networks include working with schools in the Blue Mountains to bring positive psychology practices into the classroom and is responsible for the School Hub Program which provides programs for babies, children and carers in community spaces and schools.

SFA initiatives for vulnerable children have included film making workshops in Blackheath for young people, a pop-up park in North Katoomba, school workshops across 9 schools with Aboriginal artists, and a workshop for professionals about how to build a team around a child.

SFA initiatives for a child friendly community have included the Bush Trackers Project to get children and their families into the Blue Mountains National Pak through innovative child consultation approaches and the production of online and printed child friendly bush walking maps.  A Bush Trackers Website has also been launched with maps of various Blue Mountains areas.

Paint the Blue Read Program is an early learning initiative of the Blue Mountains SFA and includes regular early learning activities such as Annual Reading Week, Winter Magic Festival Storytime, fortnightly story sessions in Leura shops and monthly story reading at Glenbrook Rotary Markets.

Meetings

How often:  SFA meetings are held on a Tuesday from 9.30 to 11.30am quarterly.

Where:  Mountains Heritage Hotel, Katoomba.

Contact

To find out more about the SFA, please contact Tanya James at BMCC on 0424 988 890, or, Kris Newton on 02 4759 3599 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..