Page 162 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 13 February 2019
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In 2017, as Mrs Kikkert acknowledged, the ACT government supported Families ACT to host two middle-years forums, in February and November, bringing together experts from the research, education, medical and community sectors to discuss how children develop between the ages of eight and 12. These forums were very well attended and generated both conversations and action within the community sector. One of the things that both Families ACT and the Youth Coalition have emphasised is the importance of evidence-informed responses and the need to focus on early intervention and support.
In the 2017-18 budget review the ACT government committed more than $1½ million over two years to commence the early intervention by design project, described in the budget papers as “early intervention for vulnerable children and their families”. As we have worked with the community sector and service users, this project has been renamed “early support”, reflecting the negative connotations that are often associated with the word “intervention”, particularly in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
The early support initiative is a 10-year cross-government plan to shift the ACT’s human services system from a crisis focus to one that prioritises and enhances wellbeing through increased support early in the life of an issue. Early support is built on a basis of evidence, gathered both nationally and internationally, demonstrating the positive impact of early support on whole-of-life outcomes.
Through the early support initiative, the ACT government aims to realise a system where young people are able to access meaningful assistance when they need it, through services that work with them holistically, in the context of family and community.
The early support initiative is based on extensive engagement and existing evidence about what works best for families and children. As part of this initiative the government will be looking at a co-production approach between directorates in the human services cluster—that is, Community Services, Education, Health, and Justice and Community Safety—and our community sector partners, and, importantly, with children, young people and their families. Next week I will give a ministerial statement on my recent trip to the UK and Ireland. This was something that was a key focus of that trip as well.
As part of this initiative we have been working with the community and have been undertaking our own research into the needs of young people who may find themselves in a position of vulnerability. This extensive research and engagement with community sector partners is building the strong partnerships that we need to support a more integrated service delivery approach in the future.
It is also critical to listen to the voices of young people and understand their lived experience. That is why the government has supported the Australian Catholic University research that Mrs Kikkert referred to in her contribution. The ACT youth assembly also considered the issue of homelessness and has made recommendations to the government. The voices of children and young people will continue to inform
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