UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2026
Knowing support is available and knowing where to turn when your family actually needs help can be two very different things.
This National Child Protection Week, organisations across the Illawarra are working together to make it easier for local children, parents and carers to connect with the services available in our community.
The South Coast Child Wellbeing Network (SCCWN) brings together government and non-government organisations supporting children and families throughout the Illawarra and Shoalhaven. For Child Protection Week 2026, the focus is on turning conversations about child safety and wellbeing into practical action.
National Child Protection Week 2026
National Child Protection Week runs from 6–12 September 2026.
This year’s theme is “Every Conversation Matters: Shifting Conversation to Action.” It encourages communities to move beyond simply talking about child safety and towards meaningful action that strengthens families and creates safer environments for children.
National organisation NAPCAN explains the 2026 Child Protection Week theme and provides resources for families, organisations and communities.
Breaking down barriers for Illawarra families
Many families face challenges in knowing what support is available and how to access it. Information overload can make this even harder, particularly when families are already managing the demands of parenting, work, financial pressures or relationship difficulties.
Social isolation can also reduce opportunities for families to learn about support through everyday conversations with neighbours, parent groups and others in the community. When families have limited connections outside the home, they may miss out on advice, shared experiences and early signs that a child may need additional developmental or learning support.
For families of children with additional or complex needs, navigating multiple service systems can be particularly difficult. Some families may also hesitate to seek help because of concerns about stigma or judgement.
SCCWN says its Family Fun Days are designed to help overcome these barriers by bringing local services together in a welcoming community setting, making it easier for families to connect with support in an informal and accessible way.
Who are the South Coast Child Wellbeing Network?
The South Coast Child Wellbeing Network is a voluntary network of organisations working with children, young people and families across the Illawarra and Shoalhaven.
The network’s goal is to increase awareness of issues relating to child wellbeing and child safety across the local service network and within the communities where children and young people live.
Rather than individual organisations working in isolation, SCCWN creates opportunities for local services to share knowledge, build connections and help families better understand the support available to them.
Free Child Protection Week Family Fun Days in Dapto and Warrawong
As part of Child Protection Week 2026, SCCWN is holding free Family Fun Days in the Illawarra on Thursday 10 September. The events are designed as welcoming, low-pressure opportunities for families to enjoy activities while also meeting local agencies and learning about the services they provide.
Deputy Lord Mayor of Wollongong, Councillor Linda Campbell, is expected to attend the Dapto event and will take part in a story reading.
Family Fun Days during Child Protection Week
The Family Fun Days combine free activities for children with an opportunity for parents and carers to connect directly with local services.
Families can meet organisations providing support around parenting, child development, health, wellbeing and broader family needs, while children take part in free activities.
Families are welcome to drop in at any time between 9:30am and 11:30am at:
- Dapto Mall
- Warrawong Plaza
- Stockland Nowra
There is no need for families to already be connected with a service. The aim is to provide an easy, informal way to learn about what is available locally and speak directly with organisations that may be able to help.
Dapto Family Fun Day
Thursday 10 September 2026
9:30am–11:30am
Dapto Mall
Corner Princes Highway & Moombara Street, Dapto
Free activities, play, learning, lucky door prizes and opportunities to speak with local agencies supporting children and families.
Warrawong Family Fun Day
Thursday 10 September 2026
9:30am–11:30am
Warrawong Plaza
Corner King & Cowper Streets, Warrawong
Free activities, play, learning, lucky door prizes and opportunities to speak with local agencies supporting children and families.
Making it easier to ask for help
One of the strengths of SCCWN’s Family Fun Days is the informal way they connect families with support. Instead of expecting parents and carers to navigate services on their own, local organisations are brought into familiar community spaces where people can ask questions and find out what is available.
That first conversation can matter. A parent who discovers the right service, gets an answer to a question or realises help is available may be more likely to seek support earlier rather than waiting until their situation reaches crisis point.
What early support can look like for a local family
One local family first connected with support through a Family Fun Day and was later linked with a local Kidstime Playgroup.
At the time, the mother was temporarily sole-parenting three children under four. The playgroup provided a welcoming environment where she could settle her youngest child while experienced early childhood educators engaged the older children in play-based activities.
Over several weeks, as trust developed, the mother shared that she was feeling overwhelmed. Her four-year-old’s preschool had raised some developmental concerns, but she had not pursued support because she wasn’t sure where to begin.
Playgroup staff had observed similar concerns and were able to talk them through with her, explain what support was available and help the family take the next steps.
The family was then linked with a family support program that provided case management, helped them attend appointments, access financial assistance and establish routines and supports at home.
Just as importantly, the mother developed new relationships with other parents through the playgroup, giving her a broader support network.
By the time the child started school, appropriate supports were already in place, helping make the transition easier and reducing the mother’s anxiety about how her child would cope.
From conversation to action
This year’s Child Protection Week theme is particularly relevant to the work happening locally. Talking about child safety raises awareness. Taking action might mean checking in on a family that is struggling, listening when a child wants to talk, sharing information about a local service or helping someone work out where they can get support.
For organisations, it can mean collaborating so families are not left to navigate a complicated network of services by themselves. For parents and carers, action does not necessarily need to start with a major intervention. Sometimes it starts by knowing who to ask.
The List has previously shared other local stories about supporting families, including a locally run workshop for Illawarra couples transitioning into parenthood.
Where can Illawarra families find support?
The South Coast Child Wellbeing Network has gathered a range of local resources and services for children, young people, parents and carers across the Illawarra and Shoalhaven.
Child Protection Week may run for seven days, but helping children and families feel safe, supported and connected is something our community can contribute to all year round.