Who can join the KEYS Network?

Families (Referral Criteria)

The KEYS Network provides support for families with children 0-5 years old living in Western Sydney and Lithgow, who are not engaged with appropriate services to meet their holistic needs or require a multiagency response.   

Once eligibility has been confirmed and the referral has been accepted, KEYS will provide support for all members of the family, not just those up to 5 years old.   

For a family to be eligible to join KEYS, the family must:

  • Live in the Blacktown, Cumberland, Hills Shire, Parramatta or Lithgow Local Government Areas
  • Have a child aged 0-5 years old or be currently pregnant; and
  • Have one or more of the following vulnerabilities:
    • Young parent under the age of 25
    • Homelessness/Housing instability
    • Substance use
    • Smoking in pregnancy
    • Involvement in Out of Home Care (OOHC)
    • Domestic and Family Violence
    • Past or current experience of trauma
    • Poor physical or mental health
    • Disability
    • Not enrolled in school (compulsory school age)
    • Multiple changes of school – outside normal transition phases
    • Involvement with the criminal justice system
    • Limited appropriate social/cultural networks and/or limited family supports
    • Socioeconomic disadvantage impacting on access to appropriate services
    • Refugee/asylum seeker/visa restrictions
    • Concern regarding child safety and wellbeing

Trusted Contacts

A trusted contact is the frontline practitioner a family identifies as their primary point of support within the service system. This may be a social worker, educator, health practitioner, or another professional who already has an established relationship with the family. Trusted contacts help families engage with the KEYS Network, support them to work toward their goals, and remain a consistent connection as services are coordinated around their needs. 

Lead Service Providers

The Lead Service Provider has overall responsibility for managing the Family Plan which includes maintaining regular contact with families and following up with other service providers.

Other Services

A family will generally have a group of service providers who are in the best place to support a family throughout their involvement in the KEYS Network.