NINETY MILE CONSULTING IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE ITS COLLABORATION WITH MOORABOOL SHIRE COUNCIL TO CRAFT A WORKFORCE PLAN SPECIFICALLY TAILORED FOR THE EARLY YEARS AND MATERNAL & CHILD HEALTH SECTORS WITHIN THE REGION

Moorabool Shire Council

Moorabool Shire Council (MSC) plays a vital role in ensuring that early childhood services and infrastructure for children and families are effectively planned and responsive to the needs of the local community. While the Council may not directly deliver early childhood services, it actively oversees the Central Kindergarten Registration Scheme, streamlining enrolments for sessional kindergarten and ensuring accessibility for families. Additionally, MSC provides essential maternal & child health services, enriching its community support.

What’s announced?

In June 2022, the Victorian Government announced an additional $9 billion over 10 years to deliver the Best Start, Best Life reform. A key initiative is the provision of 15 hours of free kindergarten for three-year-olds and 30 hours for four-year-olds. This puts significant pressure on regional areas plagued by a shortage of qualified early childhood educators.

How do we tackle this?

MSC and NMC will craft a comprehensive 5-year workforce plan for the Shire’s early years sector. This will involve meticulous problem-solving and active engagement with the community and key stakeholders. The plan’s objective is to explore and implement localised strategies in collaboration with service providers, with the aim of both attracting and retaining a skilled early years workforce.

Additionally, NMC is the driving force to foster collaboration among neighbouring councils in the Central Highlands region, working towards the development of region-wide workforce strategies and plans that address long-term needs and demands effectively.

NMC’s Approach

NMC is executing a three-phased approach to workforce planning, consisting of:

• Current State Review
• Future State Design
• Workforce Plan Delivery

The continuous evaluation of the current state commenced by analysing the demographic makeup of Moorabool Shire, assessing the current delivery of early childhood services, and pinpointing key external factors that impact the region significantly. NMC also conducted extensive consultations with all service providers, the Council’s Child, Youth and Family Services Team, the Maternal & Child Health Services nurses, and educational institutions. Additionally, NMC is presently conducting a staff survey across the Central Highlands sub-region to characterise region-specific challenges and enable benchmarking analysis for the plan.

What’s happening next?

To disseminate research findings and brainstorm potential solutions, NMC will organise co-design workshops involving key stakeholders. By embracing a human-centred design methodology, the objective is to develop solutions through collaborative efforts with those directly affected. Based on the outcomes of the workshops, NMC will design recommended workforce strategies and a 5- year action plan for both MSC and the Central Highlands sub-region.

THE ANALYSIS FRAMEWORK

Utilising NMC’s Workforce Framework, NMC is designing a workforce strategy design and 5 year action plan. The plan will address six workforce priority areas:

• Attraction
• Recruitment
• RetentionSkills/Training
• Migration
• Accommodation

NMC is deepening its roots in regional Victoria, using evidence-based, data-driven frameworks to drive success in the community. Our team is passionate about supporting local communities and creating a sustainable impact.