The Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare welcomes today’s funding announcement and congratulates the Andrews Government on moving quickly to implement the first tranche of Royal Commission into Family Violence recommendations.
“The commitment announced by the Government today is a great start. There is now an enormous amount of work ahead of us if we are to better protect vulnerable children and allow them to thrive,” CEO Deb Tsorbaris said today.
“Every day we hear stories of families struggling with a range of complex issues, including mental illness, substance abuse and disadvantage, as well as family violence, putting children at great risk of harm, abuse and neglect.
“We welcome the Government’s focus on prevention and early intervention, so vulnerable families receive the right support when they need it and children are better protected from harm as early as possible.
“For the around 8000 children across Victoria unable to live with their parents, the additional funding for foster and kinship care will mean more of them are in a safe and stable home.
“The Centre also welcomes the Government’s commitment to working in partnership with Aboriginal people to provide better community-led support to Aboriginal children and their families.
“We need to make sure that as we work to implement this much-needed package of child protection and family services measures, every dollar invested and every decision made has the best interests of Victoria’s vulnerable children at its heart.
“We look forward to hearing from Government about the detail of the new investments in child and family services and to working with them closely to implement these important changes in a coordinated, cohesive way.”
Media Enquiries: Deb Tsorbaris (CEO) 0417 599 869 / Mary Fall (Communications) 0407 683 664
