Childhood ‘Game Changer’ Looks To Multi-Sector Consortium

A new national initiative, known as Opportunity Child, is to be launched in Sydney tomorrow, in a bid to reduce early childhood vulnerability in 20 Australian communities over the next 10 years.

The initiative aims to build a $30 million capital fund that leverages contributions from community, philanthropy, corporate and government, beginning with a $10 million seed funding base from the ten20 Foundation.

The community-led initiative includes a partnership between the ten20 Foundation and the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY).

“Opportunity Child is a game changer to drive the accountability required for whole communities, including business and philanthropy, to work together for common goals focused on children achieving their potential,” CEO of the Ten 20 Foundation,  Seri Renkin, said.

“More than 22 per cent  of children in Australia are considered vulnerable today and one in four are not ready to start school due to poor living and developmental environments.

“It is the first time that a multi-sector consortium is making a capital investment on this scale which will focus on maximising the potential of children.

“This is a bold new approach to transform vulnerable children’s lives from cradle to career.

“We know one in six children are at risk of neglect and abuse, and one in four are not ready to start school due to poor living and developmental environments  –  if we work differently with communities, aligning our individual efforts towards a shared vision, lives can be transformed.”

Federal Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews will launch the initiative in Sydney.

Renkin said the initiative was a new way of pooling capital funds to focus on vulnerable children in the community; bringing together individual philanthropists, corporate philanthropists and both State and Federal Governments to do things differently.

“It’s a chance for greater efficiencies in a long-term proposal,” she said.