Call-out for volunteers at Parent Place

Parent Place volunteer, Val has always felt a strong connection to children and says volunteering at Parent Place following her retirement is her way to reconnect with children and families. 

A former primary school integration aide, Val has been doing voluntary shifts at Parent Place on Sturt Street for six years and runs a popular craft session on Tuesdays, with another volunteer, Gill. 

A familiar face to many young parents and carers, Val has joined the City of Ballarat’s call for more volunteers to lend a hand at the drop-in centre. 

The City of Ballarat is again seeking dedicated Ballarat people to support local children and families by volunteering at Parent Place. 

“Over the years that I’ve been here you get the build-up of families, so it feels like a family now that they’re all still coming in,” Val said. 

“Babies that were here originally, they’re now toddlers or kinder kids that know me and it’s lovely to see them coming in the door every week. 

“If you’ve got those mums coming in on a regular basis that know you as a volunteer, it’s just a lovely bond that you build up. 

“It’s just a lovely place to volunteer and I would thoroughly recommend it.” 

Families can visit Parent Place to feed and change their children and have a play or socialise with other families.  

The free service provides connections to early years services, and free activities including craft and story time sessions.   

Parent Place also provides information on services relevant to young children including playgroup, Maternal and Child Health, childcare, Family Day Care, immunisation and kindergarten including kindergarten registration.  

The volunteers are an integral part of creating the warm and welcoming environment at Parent Place and some choose to run activities, like Val.  

Recently, it also commenced its Parent Place Outreach program, broadening its services beyond the Sturt Street headquarters. 

City of Ballarat Deputy Mayor, Cr Amy Johnson encouraged anybody who was interested in volunteering to consider putting their name forward. 

“We’ve been incredibly lucky to be supported by a range of helpful and enthusiastic volunteers over the years and it's exciting that we now have opportunities available for new volunteers to join the team,” she said. 

“We know that having access to services in a safe and supportive environment is so important for the healthy development of our kids.  

 “I can't wait to meet the new volunteers as they come on board. We'd love to hear from anyone who's interested in taking on a new and enjoyable role, connecting with children and their carers with a wonderful team around you".  

This work makes a real difference in the lives of families in our community. 

To learn more about volunteering at Parent Place, you can call 5320 5165, visit 39 Sturt Street in person, email parentplace@ballarat.vic.gov.au or contact the team via Facebook Messenger. 

People interested in volunteering can also register by filling out this form.