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Vocational Training For Residential Care Workforce

20 March 2017

Residential care workers have commenced TAFE-delivered vocational training to help them better assist children and young people with complex needs.

The training is part of the Andrews Labor Government’s $8 million commitment funded through the Victorian Budget 16/17, for vocational training for Victorian residential care workers.

A consortium of five Victorian TAFEs, including Melbourne Polytechnic, SuniTAFE, Bendigo Kangan Institute, Federation Training and The Gordon will provide the state-wide training.

Melbourne Polytechnic is the first TAFE to offer the training to residential care workers, with students enrolled for both March and April classes, with other TAFEs to follow later in the year.

The new training will ensure workers have greater access to quality training as Victoria moves towards mandatory minimum qualifications for residential care workers by the end of 2017.

Workers will undertake a Certificate IV in Child, Youth and Family Intervention (residential and out of home care), or top-up training for those who have existing qualifications.

Developed in collaboration with the residential care sector, industry training providers and the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare, the training will be offered to around 1,300 carers of vulnerable children and young people around Victoria.

The training will be funded by Skills First, the Labor Government’s new approach to training and TAFE.

Funding to the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare has also been made available to support residential care workers undertaking this training.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Families and Children Jenny Mikakos

“This training is crucial for our residential care workers and will help transform residential care into a model that can better assist children and young people with complex needs and behaviours."

”These improvements to training for residential care workers is yet another step to ensure the welfare of children and young people is a top priority.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Training and Skills Gayle Tierney

“This training is so important to improving the residential care we offer vulnerable Victorian children and our TAFEs will be at the heart of that training."

"We'll always support TAFE. That’s why we've invested heavily in our public institutes over the last two years - enabling them to carry out critical work that's vital to the Victorian community."

Quote attributable to Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare CEO Deb Tsorbaris

"This is a significant collaboration between government, the community services sector and vocational training providers. It shows how we can all work together to improve outcomes for Victoria's vulnerable children and young people."

Reviewed 19 August 2020

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