Laidley Shire Community Care Association Inc

 Our Mission: To empower the community to take charge of their own lives through the provision of information, referral and support services.  

Our History: Laidley Shire Community Care Association (LSCCA) was born out of a commitment of a few local people to facilitate the provision of community support services into a growing rural shire.  

In March 1988, LSCCA was legally incorporated and with the financial assistance of the Department of Families, Youth and Community Care (now Dept of Communities) leased its current premises at 13 Mary Street, Laidley. The site had two houses and a good yard on a double block, providing room for expansion in the years ahead.  

One building was set up as a non-profit Limited Hours Child Care Centre, the first child care centre for the shire; the other building as the community centre. LSCCA also partnered with Laidley Shire Council to operate a Limited Hours Child Care Centre in a purpose-built Council-owned centre at Kensington Grove, in the northern part of the shire.  

Subsequent funding from the Jupiter’s Casino Community Benefit Fund has enables us to build a conference/meeting room able to seat 30 people. In recent years the Laidley Child Care centre has closed and the building has been redeveloped as a community training and resource centre. All buildings are air-conditioned and are regularly hired by local groups and visiting services from metropolitan centres.

LSCCA continues to take a community development approach to its work and seeks to assist and resource local people to develop local solutions to local issues. One example is the Centrelink Rural Agency, with its “self-help” facilities providing the only employment “job board” with Internet-based job listings and job search and resume services for local people. Another example is the support of local volunteer youth workers—providing training scholarships and work experience.

 Our Future: LSCCA is committed to empowering local people to confidently develop solutions to local issues. Local groups will be supported to access funding opportunities and develop support services that are of strategic importance to our shire. LSCCA remains committed to a “best practice” approach to community work and welcomes the input of the public.