In early September, the Department of Family and Community Services (FACS) released the Targeted Earlier Intervention Programs Sector Consultation Paper. Western Sydney Community Forum joined with partner peak agencies and local councils to host three Roundtables in Greater Western Sydney on the FACS Earlier Intervention Programs (TEIP) Reforms.

In total the three Roundtables captured the views of 270 representatives from a range of services providing support to the Western Sydney community. Feedback forms were received from 200 participants. Analysis of the notes and feedback forms provides an overall picture of the character and views of individual representatives who participated in the forums.

The consistency in views and the size of the participant groups alone suggest that these forums have captured the general sentiment of services across the region. The themes they identified are largely consistent with the key research and review findings outlined in the FACS discussion paper and demonstrate a sector wide willingness to work in partnership with FACS to improve outcomes. The results present an overview of the current challenges for the region and highlight specific opportunities to address structural and systemic barriers.