House of Assembly Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2) 52 2 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Grievance Debate O'Sullivan Beach Children's Centre O'SULLIVAN BEACH CHILDREN'S CENTRE Ms THOMPSON House of Assembly Reynell Ms THOMPSON (Reynell) (16:22): I would like to briefly congratulate the O'Sullivan Beach Children's Centre for the wonderful work that it does in supporting families and children to make the best of the opportunities that our wonderful education system provides. The centre has only been open for just over a year, and I was pleased to visit there last Friday as part of Save the Children activities and to be reminded of the many activities that are held there. Many agencies use the centre and so it has become comfortable for parents who are struggling to just go down to the children's centre, because there is no stigma attached. There is no fear that their children are going to be taken away from them because they are not doing a good enough job, and there is plenty of opportunity to learn, not only from the skilled staff who provide the range of services, but also from each other. I know Premier Weatherill is very committed to the notion that parents often learn the best from each other and that this can be guided by skilled staff. I watched the children very determinedly and excitedly watering the garden, which has grown already, with nice little beds elevated to children's height, the children complying very easily with the rule that 'You may eat herbs at any time, but other things are not allowed to be picked until they are ready to cook.' One of the functions that occurs there concerns one of the issues that used to be dealt with under Families and Communities, where children are removed from their parents and there is a need for the parents and children to develop healthier relationships. It was very heart wrenching to see these parents coming together to gradually learn the parenting skills that somehow they missed out on learning. A generation back, we seem to have not done a very good job as a community in teaching parents how to parent and we need to be very active in supporting those who missed out on that vital skill. The centre has recently put together a mural which symbolises the whole community, with children and parents all working together and growing and learning, and they are hoping that the Minister for Education and Child Development will be able to open this. One of the spontaneous comments that came about that pleased me greatly was that the people working in the centre really believe that the amalgamation of the old child protection unit and the department of education is working. It took some time for people to recognise that this might be a good thing but, already, they are finding that services are more coordinated, staff are understanding each other and learning from each other; and, overall, some very positive steps have been taken towards providing the best chance for every child. I congratulate all the parents and the many workers, as well as the community supporters of the O'Sullivan Beach Children's Centre and congratulate the vision of the ministers who were determined that this would be part of Labor's program for government.