About Us
The ECCFCSC is the state-wide peak organisation in NSW on CALD issues in Children's and Disability Services and is funded by the Department of Education, Employment & Workplace Relations (DEEWR), State Government Department of Ageing Disability and Home Care, the Department of Community Services and the Department of Health and Ageing to operate programs targeting the CALD children, families and communities to facilitate access to culturally and linguistically appropriate services to meet their needs.
Our Philosophy
The underpinning philosophy of the Co-operative is Social Justice, with particular emphasis on Access & Equity and Multiculturalism in Children's, Aged and Disability Services.
Our Mission
The Co-operative is committed to ensure that people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Backgrounds be provided with the opportunity to participate and receive services relevant, sensitive and appropriate to their linguistic, cultural, religious and lifestyle needs. This is also in accordance with the existing range of legislation.
History
The Ethnic Child Care Family and Community Services Co-operative Ltd., was established in 1978 with the coming together of seven ethnic communities which had received capital and recurrent funding from the then Commonwealth Department of Social Security to set up Long Day Child Care Centres in various geographic areas to meet their child care needs. In 1979, the Department through the Children's Services Program under the Special Services provided funding to the Co-operative to set up the Ethnic Child Care Development Unit as a Special Resource, Advisory and Training Agency. The aim of the program was to assist the seven ethnic communities to establish their child care centres, to research the child care needs of ethnic communities in the inner and outer metropolitan Sydney, to provide relevant information to ethnic families and communities for them to access child care services and to work with children's services to provide training, advice, resources and support to enable them to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate care. In the 29 years of its existence the membership has increased from the original 7 member organisations to 56 non-profit community based organisations which operate children's, welfare, disability, social, recreational, aged care, respite care, vacation care, cultural, and educational services. Some are funded by the three levels of government others operate on a voluntary basis and from fund raising activities.