New laws that increase the time out-of-home young Victorians can be entitled to receive care have been announced by the Minister for Child Protection, Luke Donnellan.
Mr Donellan said changes to the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 which enshrines the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing’s Home Stretch Program have been made so it can support young people in need of care for an extra five years.
He said the amendments would also reshape the children and families system so that it focussed on earlier intervention and prevention and strengthened the children’s rights.
“Home Stretch provides continued support until the age of 21 to every Victorian leaving care – around 700 young people a year – to assist their transition to adulthood,” Mr Donnellan said.
“Victoria became the first Australian State to make the Program universal this year, and the Bill will require in law that these supports are provided,” he said.
“The amendments will strengthen requirements for children to be supported to participate in decision-making about their futures – as well as to convene family group conferences, which bring families together with an independent facilitator to make a plan for a child’s wellbeing prior to the need for court intervention.”
Mr Donnellan said the reforms enabled new child protection reports on at-risk 17 year olds, closing a long-standing service gap.
“Currently a 17 year old fleeing violence or abuse at home cannot receive child protection services or, in many cases adult services, placing them at high risk of homelessness and contact with the justice system,” he said.
The Minister said that, in another Australian-first, the amendments would enable Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations to lead the response to child protection reports about Aboriginal children.
Mr Donnellan said this would contribute to efforts to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal children in care by 45 per cent by 2031.
He said the changes also provided new protections for individuals who made reports in good faith about child sexual abuse in institutional contexts.
“This responds to a key recommendation made by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, which found the fear of reprisal can prevent reporting of child abuse,” Mr Donnellan said.
