Network News

For assistance contact ETO HIPPY support by logging a ticket directly via the HIPPY Support Portal

The Australian Government handed down the 2026-2027 Federal Budget on Tuesday 12 May.

As expected, HIPPY Australia was not specifically named in the Budget papers. This is common for individual programs and does not reflect a change in program support or delivery.

The Budget included a range of announcements across areas relevant to HIPPY’s work, including early years, families, First Nations outcomes, workforce participation and community services.

HIPPY Australia is working closely with BSL to review the Budget and continuing discussions with DSS about what the Budget means for the future of the program. We are also engaging with leadership across provider organisations to ensure the network receives timely and accurate information.

We are committed to keeping the network informed as more information becomes available.

We recognise that this period can raise questions across the network. What we can share is that conversations at a national level remain positive, and are ongoing. We will continue to provide clear updates as soon as they are available.

For now, there is no change to current delivery expectations. Sites should continue with business as usual, including submitting the Annual Program Budget by 14 May. This budget should cover 1 July to 31 December 2026.

Thank you for continuing to support families and deliver HIPPY in your communities.

Key messages

• Business as usual. There is no change to current HIPPY delivery expectations
• Annual Program Budgets are still due by 14 May for the period 1 July to 31 December 2026

In a recent episode of the Kids, Culture, Community SNAICC Yarns podcast, Sid Williams (Acting Manager, ACCO Transformation) and Nadia Currie (Acting Director, Sector Engagement & Innovation) sat down to unpack what Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO) transformation looks like in practice.

Why this matters for the HIPPY Network:

During the yarn, Sid and Nadia gave significant shoutouts to the HIPPY program and the Brotherhood of St Laurence (BSL). They highlighted:

• The HIPPY Journey: Reflections on the successful transitions of HIPPY sites to community control over the past year
• Inclusive Strength: How ACCO-led HIPPY sites are creating spaces for all children, both Aboriginal and broad-focused, to learn about culture, respect, and allyship
• Breaking down power imbalances and moving beyond policy language to ensure communities lead the design and delivery of services, genuine partnership

Sid and Nadia remind us that we already know what works, the focus now is on backing that knowledge with trust, long-term commitment, and working at community's pace.

We recommend carving out 10 minutes with a cuppa to listen to this insightful conversation. It is a powerful reminder of why our work in partnership with ACCOs is vital for the next generation.

SNAICC Yarns: Unpacking ACCO Transformation

As part of the Annual Statement of Compliance process, we continue to work with providers to strengthen compliance processes and reduce program. As part of this work we’ve recently completed a review of insurance records across the network.

We’ve found that most sites are fully compliant and have up-to-date documentation in place. However, we will be back in touch with some sites to request additional information or updated certificates, and a small number may be asked to arrange or increase their insurance cover to meet requirements.

We’re currently finalising communications to the affected sites, which will outline what’s needed to meet the insurance requirements.

This process supports all providers to meet agreement requirements and helps reduce risk while delivering the program.

This update is for information only and doesn’t require any action from you.

We understand that Sites are keen to see the DSS report on the HIPPY Program evaluation, particularly given the time and effort involved in participating.

At this stage, DSS has not yet provided HIPPY Australia with a confirmed release date. Report writing and review processes are still underway, and we are awaiting further advice from the department on when the final report will be released.

We will share another update as soon as we receive any new information or an indicative timeframe.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be refreshing how Communities of Practice (CoPs) are grouped. This refresh is designed to make CoPs easier to participate in, more rewarding, and better aligned to how the network now operates. The aim is to support stronger connection, better participation, and sustainable support across the network.

A quick note on why this is happening now

We know some CoPs have been working really well. Others have been harder to sustain, especially where groups are small, spread out, or where the facilitation load has been uneven.

At the same time, over the past two years we’ve been aligning the HIPPY provider network to reflect our current funding arrangements across:

• First Nations-focused delivery (through ACCOs, or ACCO led partnerships)
• Broad Focus delivery

With these network changes now in place, we have a good opportunity to reinvigorate our CoPs. This refresh will help make CoPs more consistent and sustainable, while keeping what has worked well.

What’s changing (coming soon)

• For First Nations-focused sites: CoPs will be set up to support culturally-led learning and connection. These arrangements are intended to strengthen cultural safety and self‑determination in how learning and connection are supported
• For Broad Focus sites: CoPs will no longer be grouped strictly by geography. The number of CoPs will be reduced, with a broader mix of sites in each group

What to expect next

We’re still in the early stages of refining the CoP changes. For now, please stay with your current CoP grouping while we finalise the details.

We expect the updated arrangements to be finalised by mid-June. Once confirmed, we will email each CoP participant with the details.

We know you’ll have questions and feedback. Please send all comments and questions to hippyaustralia@bsl.org.au so we can respond individually where needed. We’ll also share general responses where the same question or concern is raised more than once.

What’s not changing

• CoPs remain central to learning, reflection, and collaboration
• Existing relationships and informal networks are still valued and encouraged to continue

Where to find updates

To support CoP questions, reflection, and this refresh, we are building a bank of information in accessed via the HIPPY Support Portal . It will include responses to questions and clarifications already raised, along with refresh updates and key information as arrangements are confirmed.

The Knowledge base information continues be expanded. We will share the link to the updated information by email later in May.

Drawing on 15 years of experience supporting Australian families, Goodstart Early Learning have launched Good Choices, a provider-agnostic initiative designed to help families navigate the complexities of early learning and care.

Recognising that identifying high-quality Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) can be difficult for families entering the system for the first time, this campaign was developed following nationwide research into what parents wish they had known before choosing a centre.

The campaign complements our efforts by empowering parents with independent, it is strategically designed to complement existing sector efforts by empowering families with independent, expert advice. Good Choices builds upon the established First Five Years platform, utilising resources from the highly regarded Raising Children Network to cover essential parenting topics such as nutrition, sleep, and developmental milestones.

These resources to help families spot high-quality care options in their local communities.

The Good Choices Launch Video

Emerging Minds: New Practitioner Resources & Podcasts

The National Office highlights several new resources from Emerging Minds designed to support practitioners in delivering culturally responsive and neurodivergent-affirming care.

"Parenting Our Way": First Nations Resources

Developed in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, these new resources from Emerging Minds celebrate cultural identity and the inherent strengths of kinship systems. If you are working with families looking for parenting information that 'feels right' and centers Indigenous ways of being, we encourage you to share these with your community. The focus of the resources is social and emotional wellbeing, connection to culture, and navigating neurodivergence.

Practitioner Podcasts

The Emerging Minds podcasts are a valuable resource for anyone interested in child and adolescent mental health, offering practical guidance, expert insights, and real-life experiences to support families and practitioners in Australia. They provide a blend of research, practice wisdom, and personal stories, making complex mental health topics accessible and actionable.

National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.
This year's theme, All In, is a call for all Australians to commit wholeheartedly to reconciliation every single day.

If your site is hosting a Gathering, exploring language on Country, or creating artwork, please share your stories and photos with us.

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Due to current sublicence and funding agreements, sites are required to submit asix-month budget only (covering July to December 2026) while we await further details regarding supplementation.

Submission Deadline: All sites must submit their Annual Program Budget by 14 May 2026

• Budget Period covers 1 July 2026 - 31 December 2026
• Completed budgets must be submitted via ETO Touchpoint
• The latest budget templates can be accessed via the BSL HIPPY Support Portal
• For ETO submission assistance, please refer to Section 11.3 of the ETO Guide

ETO Guide Tip: Use the Content page to click to the content under Section 11.3, page number glitch is under review

Additionally, we have developed a dedicated FY 26/27 Budget FAQ to address common queries and has been updated with the latest information from our finance team.

If you anticipate any difficulty meeting the 14 May deadline, please contact your Site Advisor as early as possible.

We have updated the LMS course and resources overview to clarify mandatory training requirements across various site contexts.

Action Required:

• When submitting LMS feedback, you must include the URL link and relevant screenshots. This allows the team to locate and address content issues efficiently, and streamlines the feedback mechanism
• Submit all feedback via the Feedback Form , and technical queries through the HIPPY Australia Support Portal
  

Updated Resource: The LMS Course and Resources Overview is now updated with clarified mandatory training requirements for various site contexts.

You will have recently received an email notification about this update and may have also seen it in Canvas (some of you may have received more than one notification if you’re enrolled in multiple courses on the LMS).
We’re sharing it in the Newsletter to ensure everyone is informed.

Important Canvas Update (HIPPY LMS) - no action needed

HIPPY Australia uses Canvas (by Instructure) for training and shared resources. Canvas stores limited information about you. Primarily, your name, and work email address.

What’s happened

Instructure has advised they recently identified and fixed a technical security issue. The issue has been contained, and extra security measures have been put in place.

Instructure has advised that the incident has been resolved and that any affected data was returned and will not be shared, noting that investigations are ongoing

What you need to do

• No action is required
• Please continue to be alert to unexpected or suspicious emails

If you have any questions, contact hippyaustralia@bsl.org.au

Why May enrolment data matters

Each June, we report to our funder, DSS, on HIPPY enrolments and other key program requirements.
To support this, enrolment data needs to be entered into ETO by the end of May so we can finalise our report to the department.

A big thank you to the sites that have already met their 2026 enrolment targets. Your effort is helping more families access HIPPY, and that impact matters.

Extra time for enrolments

We recognise that some sites are experiencing recruitment challenges. Families are managing ongoing cost of living pressures, returning to work, and other competing demands, which can affect when they feel ready to sign up to HIPPY.

To better support sites, we have extended the 2026 enrolment cut-off date to 30 June 2026.

What this extension is for

• To provide a more achievable and supportive timeframe for recruitment this year
• To support sites through substantial change across the network
• To allow sites to top up numbers where there have been early exits

What you still need to do

• Enter completed enrolments into ETO
• Contact the ETO Helpdesk hippyaustralia@bsl.org.au for support with uploads or if you are experiencing any technical issues
• Continue working towards the contractual targets in your sub-licence and funding agreements
• Keep recruitment moving, as meeting targets supports our advocacy for future funding
• Help ensure HIPPY remains a valued program that builds capacity for children and families in our communities

We hope this extension provides practical support as you continue your recruitment efforts. Please contact your Site Advisor if you have questions or would like to talk this through.

Thanks to all sites for your continued recruitment efforts.

During our recent state-based Community of Practice (CoP) meetings, a consistent question was raised regarding the official terminology used to describe the Tutor role. Many sites noted that 'Tutor' can sometimes cause confusion for families regarding who is directly responsible for the child’s teaching.

This has led to many sites adopting alternative titles such as Mentor, Home Visitor, and Parent Coach.

HIPPY Australia also acknowledges that language must resonate locally to be effective. While we recognise the diversity of terms currently in use, a universal shift at the national level would involve significant implications for program documentation, compliance, and sub-licence agreements.

To ensure our national communications eventually reflect the reality of your local practice, we are gathering data through the Our HIPPY, Our Community form.
We want to better understand:

• which terms are most widely used across the network
• the cultural or community reasons why specific language resonates, and
• how families respond to different terms descriptors in their initial engagement

The insights gathered will enable us to tailor communication and resources to more closely reflect the language used in your community, wherever possible.
For now, official National Office communications and curriculum resources will continue to use the term Tutor. In acknowledging the need for flexibility, HIPPY Australia has no objection to sites using the terminology that best fits their community context and professional identity.

For a full list of questions and answers raised during the recent CoP sessions, please visit the HIPPY Business Support Portal

Collective Wisdom for Site Stability

Retaining families in HIPPY is a complex process influenced by local culture, staff dynamics, and evolving community needs. There is no 'one size fits all' strategy; instead, successful retention requires a deep understanding of what is happening on the ground.

This interactive workshop invites Coordinators to step back from operational pressures to explore retention through shared stories and collective meaning-making.

This is a supportive space designed to:

• Uncover the underlying assumptions to identify patterns and constraints that shape family engagement at your specific site
• Exchange insights with other Coordinators working across diverse regional and urban contexts and harness the power of collaborative learning
• Generate alternative ways of working to strengthen family outcomes and site stability through practical innovation

Date: Tuesday 23 June 2026 | Time: 12:00 - 3:00 PM (AEST)

Following the successful completion of our recent sessions, we are pleased to announce that interest in MoneyMinded Coach Training continues to grow across the network.

To accommodate this demand, we have added an additional training cohort, Batch 3, currently scheduled for July or August 2026.

MoneyMinded Coach accreditation equips you with a consistent, strengths-based approach to facilitating financial wellbeing conversations.

As an accredited coach, you gain exclusive access to the MoneyMinded Hub, which includes:

• Comprehensive resource suite with over 150 financial topics, interactive handouts, case studies, and templates
• Access to translated resources in Arabic, Chinese, and Farsi
• Practical tools in the form of targeted videos, prompt cards, and templates to guide participants through banking basics, managing debt, and goal setting

ANZ’s MoneyMinded program provides accredited coaches with space to share best practices and receive regular resource updates.

Limited spots remain for Batch 3, secure your spot using the form: Money Minded Coach Training: Registrations

These are indicative placeholders to help you plan your learning opportunities for the rest of the year. Details for each session will be communicated shortly.

• June/July: Pre-Service Coordinator Training
• 21 July - 27 August: Change Makers Program
• September/October: Pre-Service Coordinator Training
• 20 October: Recruitment Workshop
• October: Advocacy through Media

SNAICC is piloting a national training program, Believe Inquire Respond to Disclosures (BIRD), as part of the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021-2030.

This initiative aims to improve early disclosure experiences for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victim-survivors of child sexual abuse by bridging a critical gap in formal qualifications and culturally safe primary healthcare responses.

This evidence based, and led, culturally responsive trauma- and healing-informed package is:

• suitable for professionals seeking to improve cultural safety and responsiveness for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and Families
• a 5-day decolonised training pilot focusing on the BIRD Practice Framework
• scheduled throughout 2025-26
• 2026 locations & partners: Sisters in Spirit (Canberra), VACCA (Naarm/Melbourne), BRAMS (Rubibi/ Broome), Waiben/Thursday Island, and Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre (Nipaluna/ Hobart)

Read through the research report and practice framework for more details.

While specific resources are available for review, participants should contact SNAICC directly to confirm current pilot fees, registration eligibility, and upcoming schedules for their region.

Upcoming training dates for Broome 25-29 May. Canberra dates to be confirmed.

The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) provides a suite of evidence-based webinars focused on child and family wellbeing. These sessions are funded by the Department of Social Services (DSS).

Current On-Demand Series

Experience full webinar replays in a range of topics, including extended Q&A sessions, at your convenience. Each on-demand link is active for a limited three-week window.

Alternatively, you can register for upcoming sessions , or access the full library of recent recordings , and filter by topics such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, childcare and preschool, and mental health.

This free, research-backed program offers powerful insights into how early relationships and environments architect the developing brain.
Developed in collaboration with Emerging Minds, the Thriving Queensland Kids Partnership (ARACY), and the Queensland Brain Institute, this distilled neuroscience program is perfect for staff looking to apply best-practice evidence to their everyday work with families.
The program consists of five core modules.

Enrol via the link: ECA Learning Hub: Understanding Brain Development

What happens when 60,000 years of cultural wisdom and modern brain science align?

This National Reconciliation Week, join ARACY, Queensland Kids Partnership, and Yiliyapinya Indigenous Corporation for a landmark webinar on National Sorry Day.

Hear from First Nations leaders, including National Commissioner Sue-Anne Hunter and Yiliyapinya CEO Sheryl Batchelor, on how community-led approaches and "Brain Health Coaches" are keeping children connected to culture and out of the justice and child protection systems.

This session is a powerful look at what 'All In' reconciliation looks like in practice.

For registration and details of the hour-long session: All in for Growing Deadly Brains - Reconciliation Australia

National Families Week , led by Families Australia, highlights the vital role families play in our lives and the broader community. This annual celebration encourages families to connect with friends, extended kin, and the wider community to acknowledge the role of families in society, including how families teach, support and nurture children as they grow.

We recognize that families come in many shapes and sizes. The theme for 2026, Celebrating Every Family, Everywhere, highlights inclusion, connection and support.

Sites are encouraged to share their stories and photos with the National Office for the June newsletter.

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The focus of International Day of Families is to promote awareness of social, economic, and demographic processes affecting families worldwide.
This year's theme, Families, Inequalities and Child Wellbeing, aims to highlight how inequality shapes family life and children’s wellbeing.

It is a timely reminder that strong, connected and well supported families help children flourish.

IDAHOBIT (International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersex-phobia, and Transphobia) day is to stand against discrimination and support creating safe, welcoming communities for LGBTQIA+ people.

The theme for 2026, Will you go rainbow? is a chance for individuals, workplaces and communities to show visible allyship and raise awareness of the issues LGBTQIA+ people face.

National Sorry Day marks the tabling of the Bringing Them Home report in 1997. The day is a time to reflect and commit to action that supports healing for survivors and future generations.

It recognises the deep hurt caused by the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, the Stolen Generations.
2026, is the 29th anniversary of the Bringing Them Home report.
Since then, many of the report’s recommendations remain unfulfilled.

National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.
This year's theme, All In, is a call for all Australians to commit wholeheartedly to reconciliation every single day.

If your site is hosting a Gathering, exploring language on Country, or creating artwork, please share your stories and photos with us.

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