The Andrews Labor Government is improving mandatory safety and supervision in residential care to better protect our most vulnerable children.
Minister for Families and Children Jenny Mikakos today announced $82.5 million over four years to ensure every child and young person in residential care will continue to receive a ‘complex level’ of support.
This includes around-the-clock staffing in every standard home – and all residential care homes now have an Overnight Safety Plan, which ensures a rapid response of additional staff when needed.
The funding follows another boost of $1.8 million in February this year to continue to deliver mandatory minimum qualification training through TAFE to residential care workers entering the workforce in 2018.
As of July, more than 1,400 people have commenced the new training and 850 of those have completed it.
In total, $9.8 million has been invested by the Labor Government to deliver this tailored training to all residential care workers in Victoria.
The training focuses on trauma informed care, addressing attachment issues and needs, and facilitating responsible behaviour.
Melbourne Polytechnic TAFE customised training delivery for the region, with workers attending from Ballarat, Maryborough and Daylesford.
A consortium of five Victorian TAFEs, including Melbourne Polytechnic, SuniTAFE, Bendigo Kangan Institute, Federation Training and The Gordon are delivering the state-wide training with support from the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare.
Transforming residential care to a time-limited, intensive support response is a key focus of the Labor Government’s landmark Roadmap for Reform: Strong Families, Safe Children agenda.
This new investment in improved safety and quality in residential care is part of a record $858.6 million in the Victorian Budget 2018/2019 to protect vulnerable children and their families.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Families and Children Jenny Mikakos
“There is no greater calling than protecting vulnerable children – it is vital and important work.”
“During our term of Government, we’ve moved to transform residential care from a placement of last resort, to a short-term intervention that helps children on the road to recovery.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Skills and Training Gayle Tierney
“We’re giving residential care workers the training and the expertise they need to do their job well – supporting vulnerable children and young people.”
“We’re rebuilding TAFE so Victorians are armed for the jobs we need.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020