Wednesday, 31 May 2023

Ministers statements: child protection

Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers, Minister for Child Protection and Family Services) (12:33): I rise to update the house on our government’s investment to improve outcomes for children and young people living in residential care. Earlier this year I had the privilege to visit residential care homes in my electorate of Western Metropolitan Region and meet with the staff and young people in these settings. These young people were beautiful, they were amazing and they were extremely articulate. What I heard on these visits was the need to increase the provision of therapeutic care and to invest to improve the outcomes for children and young people in residential care. I also heard directly from young people in the ministerial youth advisory group that we need to do more for those in residential care, particularly in providing therapeutic supports. I have also met with community service organisations who are providing services to children and young people who are living in residential care.

In the budget last week we outlined a $548 million investment to improve outcomes for children and young people in residential care. This is the biggest investment in care services in a single budget and is part of our almost $900 million investment in child protection and family services in this budget. Our care services investment includes funding to ensure that all children and young people in residential care will be supported to access therapeutic supports by 2025–26; continuing funding of the 19 two- and three-bed residential care homes across Victoria; providing funding for the remaining six two- and three-bed homes that are progressively being constructed across Victoria and will be operational by mid-2024; continuing targeted care packages which support children to live in suitable care arrangements that prevent their entry into residential care settings; and funding to continue to target child sexual exploitation for those in residential care, building upon our existing initiatives to address this abhorrent conduct. The investment will deliver an expansion of the department’s sexual exploitation practice leads to all 17 Department of Families, Fairness and Housing areas across the state and new dedicated sexual exploitation practice lead positions in both the metropolitan and rural after-hours services to detect issues at night and over the weekend. This is the biggest investment in care services in a single budget, and it is this side of the house that will continue to deliver for better outcomes for children and young people living in residential care.