Page 167 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 11 February 2015
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abuse and domestic violence. Most concerning of all, though, is the fact that adults who have experienced out of home care are more likely to have children themselves who become subject to some form of abuse, trauma or neglect.
As I have said, Madam Speaker, the ACT is not alone. These challenges are faced by out of home care services across Australia. Here in the ACT we are stepping up for vulnerable children, young people and their families. The government’s new $16 million strategy “A step up for our kids” will transform our support for the community’s most vulnerable children and young people.
At the heart of the strategy is a simple aim, which is to give children in care better lives. We are investing in a range of new services for vulnerable children and young people to give children the most stable, productive lives possible and, in doing so, truly putting their needs at the centre.
There are many initiatives within “A step up for our kids”: creating a continuum of care; providing training to carers and professionals to better take into account the trauma children and young people have endured; and placing more of an emphasis on securing a permanent home for a child or young person.
We want to improve the education, health, employment and social outcomes of children and young people in out of home care. By doing this we will address the major challenges faced by out of home care services and create a more sustainable system for the long term but, most importantly, help children and young people take a step up in their lives.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Ms Porter.
MS PORTER: Minister, what difference will “A step up for our kids” make for children in care?
MR GENTLEMAN: “A step up for our kids” is about investing in the future of our most vulnerable children and young people. It is about keeping kids at home where possible and preventing disadvantage for future generations. “A step up for our kids” creates an environment that goes further than before in delivering the right kind of support to children and young people, and at the right time in their lives. We want to make quite sure that children are given every possible chance to stay with their families and, where that is not possible, they have all the support they need to build new lives.
The system will be based on trauma informed support that better takes into account the trauma endured by a child or young person who has experienced abuse and neglect. The professional support for children coming into care through a new approach to therapeutic assessments will assess this trauma and recast services around the needs of the child or young person.
We are going to create more stable lives for children in care by enabling organisations to provide a continuum of care and support that stays with the child as they grow, rather than making them move from one service provider to another when
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