NIFTeY (SA) members are passionate about their vision for a South Australian community that values young children and provides optimal early years environments.
NIFTeY (SA)'s work to influence systems and outcomes for young children from birth to five years of age is based on the folowing assumptions.
- Early brain development is strongly influenced by the nurturing enviornment and security of relationships surrounding the young child that set a base for learning, behaviour and health throughout life.
- The changing socio-economic circumstances of today's society pose a major challenge to our institutions that affects families and their children's development in the early years.
- A highly competent population requires our society to ensure that all its children have the best opportunities during the critical years of development, regardless of family circumstance.
- Evidence based prevention and intervention services for all young children and their families across South Australia will support improved outcomes.
NIFTeY (SA) believes that there is a need for an overall service framework that:
- identifies key principles for service delivery and the characteristics of programs that are known to be effective
- recognises an ongoing agenda for research and evaluation
- provides a firm committment to the wellbeing of young children and their families across communities, particularly where socio-economic and other forms of disavdantage are apparent.
Parents, researchers, policy makers, practitioners, governments, business and community leaders need to work together to identify effective policies, programs and practices and to develop new approaches to replace those that have not been successful.
A whole-of-government approach and a strong community commitment to young childen and the importance of the early years of life, with further investment in integrated approaches that support children's early years, will go far in achieving this end.