New govt service for young Kalgoorlie families

Kalgoorlie-Boulder's high population of young children has prompted the State Government to fund a new service catering for families.

Youth Minister Tony Simpson visited the city on Saturday to announce funding for the new parenting service in addition to launching Kalgoorlie-Boulder's Youth Fest.

More than 8 per cent of the city's population is aged four and under, higher than the WA average of 6.8 per cent.

For this reason, according to Mr Simpson, the State Government is putting a contract out to tender today for an organisation to provide parents with advice, information and support.

Mr Simpson was hopeful a Kalgoorlie-Boulder organisation would be able to take on the contract and help co-ordinate services available to young families in the city.

"We're looking for a comprehensive service to respond to the needs of parents in the region, helping them to manage the challenges of parenting, build their confidence and understand their child's development," he said.

"Parents in Kalgoorlie-Boulder face a number of challenges, and there is a need for a service that can provide parenting information and resources to young and new families and for children aged from pre-birth to 18 years.

"In Kalgoorlie-Boulder alone there are a number of facilities already operating - I think it's a matter of trying to find someone who can co-ordinate it and use this money to increase the amount of services we have." I'm pretty sure there'll be somebody out there who will fit these criteria very well."

Mr Simpson said early intervention programs for families and ensuring the city's youth had a firm direction would be a key focus.

"One of the struggles in Kalgoorlie-Boulder is there's a lot of connection with social issues and trying to capture them early," he said.

"That's the idea of doing as much as we can at early intervention so we realise where the problem will be in the future.

"We have a lot of young ones and we've got to work out as they grow older where they'll be and how they're best suited to fit into society and the community as a whole.

"I think the most important part is we're looking to keep kids actively involved in their community."

Individuals or organisations interested in more information about the tender can visit http://www.tenders.wa.gov.au .