Swan Hill Rural City Council
Our Swan Hill Rural City Municipal Early-Middle Years Plan 2020–29 aims to improve the health and wellbeing of children aged 0–12 years and their families across the entire Swan Hill Rural City municipality. The Plan incorporates feedback from a comprehensive community engagement process which focused on what is valued by our community and their hopes and aspirations for the future.
Swan Hill Rural City Council recognises that the first twelve years of every child’s life are crucial for their healthy growth, wellbeing and development. Accordingly, the Municipal Early-Middle Years Plan aims to enhance the health and wellbeing of children and families by providing a framework to prioritise needs, plan for the future, facilitate partnerships and direct resources.
Whilst Council has embodied a long-term commitment to its families, children and young people and plans to support these cohorts have guided the work of Council in the past – this is the first time an Early-Middle Years Plan has been officially adopted by Council – it is in this way that the voices of almost 1,200 local residents now guide and inform this work with accountability and rigour.
There are two parts to the Swan Hill Rural City Municipal Early-Middle Years Plan. The first ‘part’ – this document – outlines the purpose of the Plan, an understanding of the strengths and challenges faced by families in the Swan Hill Rural City municipality, the processes involved in developing the Plan and the overarching themes and objectives. The second ‘part’ is a series of background documents containing more comprehensive coverage of community level demographics, key health and wellbeing indicators for children aged 0-12 years and their families and a comprehensive review of findings emerging from the consultation data.