Over the course of three years, Queensland place-based organisations have co-developed the Thriving Places Queensland Network to address common challenges faced by the sector.

The Network sets out to drive innovation, increase efficiencies, and futureproof our Queensland place-based ecosystem by building capability, establishing collaborative governance, and catalysing systems change.

When it comes to child development, place matters! What surrounds us, shapes us¹ – that is, a wide range of conditions, such as the social, built, and natural environments of a place affect lifelong physical and mental health. Systemic factors, such as how health, education, transport, housing, and other systems are delivered in communities also affect development. Systemic influences such as public policies and structural inequities have led to intergenerational poverty and disadvantage, and most often that is concentrated in some places more than others.

Beginning in 2023, place leaders, academics, government representatives, intermediaries, and philanthropic organisations analysed the work of the Queensland Kids Partnership’s (QKP) Thriving Places, Thriving Kids Collaborative, and proposed the Thriving Places Queensland Network. A design team, which included the TFFF, then spent a further year co-developing the model to translate the proposal into an actionable plan that strengthens the network of place-based initiatives in Queensland.

The Thriving Places Qld Network is the first of its kind in Australia. The Network will support the 46 places with place-based initiatives in Qld, ranging from emerging initiatives such as Western Downs Futures to national exemplars like Cape York Partnership.

The vision of the Network is to enable and sustain place-based systems change through strong networks, shared learning, community-led action, and coordinated investment. This will result in a thriving place-based ecosystem capable of tackling complex challenges collectively and innovatively.

For us, the real strength of the Network lies in the quality of relationships and the shared commitment to improving outcomes for children and families. It strengthens local leadership while contributing to a more coherent and collaborative reform effort across Queensland

- Gladstone Region Engaging in Action Together

All place-based partners, including funders, have a role to play in shifting conditions in places of concentrated disadvantage. This pioneering effort will be a national demonstration of the importance of collective efforts in improving outcomes for children and families in the most disadvantaged places.

In its first year, the Network has created the infrastructure for capability building such as just in time peer to peer support, learning exchanges, and Friday chats. The Network has also involved a Philanthropic Funders Community of Practice (CoP), which involved a full-day learning experience in February, and held its first Breakthrough Innovation Group (BIG), hosted by Logan Together in March.

The Funders CoP aims to build a shared understanding of what it takes to partner well as a funder within the Thriving Places Qld Network, by pursuing new & better ways to work together and creating space for collective learning & doing.

Facilitated by Eula Rohan (Principal Partnership Manager – Place, QKP), Rowena Cann (Convenor, Places and Hubs, QKP), Margot Beach (General Manager, Dusseldorp Forum), and Katie Norman (Senior Program Manager, TFFF), the CoP involved representatives from philanthropic organisations and leads from several of the place-based initiatives within the Network. Participants explored what effective partnership looks and feels like in practice, examined roles, assumptions, power and responsibility in collaboration, and reflected on what each person and organisation can genuinely contribute.

As a community of practice, the session was designed to invite action – encouraging new partnering approaches that strengthen relationships and improve outcomes for families and children across Queensland.

The BIG focused on collaborative commissioning, with an aim to bring together communities, government, philanthropy, intermediaries, academics and business. Over two days, 40 participants including regional community representatives and federal and state government partners came together to test ideas and develop a three-month action plan.

The Thriving Places Qld Network is supported by the TFFF through the Futureproof funding stream.

Funding partners: John Villiers Trust, Dusseldorp Forum, CAGES Foundation, Equity Trustees, The Bryan Foundation, Hand Heart Pocket.