This approach highlights the need for:

• Strengthened prevention and early intervention services
• Improved service responses for children and young people more deeply involved in the protection and placement system.

The new initiatives announced in the 2002–03 State Budget mean that this approach is now being put into action, with innovative pilots, new service models, and strengthened service responses
already underway.

These include:

• Best Start - Ten pilot projects will trial community driven approaches to supporting parents and families. Best Start aims to give children up to eight years the best developmental opportunities by ensuring a broad range of services, such as health, early childhood services and education, work better together for the child and family. The project will specifically target children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
• Innovation Projects - Eight projects, two with an Indigenous focus, will be established to address renotification and to improve services available to vulnerable children, young people and their families, so that help is available at an earlier point. Community - based service networks will be established to work more effectively with families who present with chronic problems and who are repeatedly notified to Child Protection.
• Indigenous Children, Young People and Families - Increased resources will support the implementation of the Child Protection Protocol with the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Association, which ensures that an appropriate organisation representing the Indigenous community is involved in decisions regarding Indigenous children and young people who are notified to Child Protection. The increased resources, including the Indigenous - specific innovation pilots will also focus on capacity building within child protection and placement services to be culturally sensitive to the needs of Indigenous children, young people and families, with service responses tailored to take account of local issues.
• Implementation of 'Looking after Children' - This framework provides a method of assessment and case planning that covers those milestones in growing up that all children should reach to achieve long term well - being in adulthood. The framework will be implemented in partnership with community service organisations and will promote a stronger focus on the well - being of children and young people in out - of - home care.
• 60 Additional Child Protection and Case Support Workers - This increase to the workforce will help meet the needs of children, young people and families who are notified to Child Protection. It will enable more effective collaboration with professionals and community services in understanding and meeting these needs.
• The development of Intensive Therapeutic Services - These new services will provide intensive therapy and expert support for children ten years and under who have experienced severe abuse, and adolescents with complex and challenging behaviours as a result of severe abuse.
• The Child Protection Outcomes Project - This project will explore the legislative and practice frameworks that guide the child protection service system, and their relevance to contemporary child and family welfare practice and legislation.

The service system is facing escalating and changing demand pressures and we are increasingly aware of growing client complexity. Too many children, young people and families are coming back into the child protection system on a repeat basis with services making little impact on their issues.The analysis confirms this and identifies the need for a strategic rethink if we are to achieve better outcomes for vulnerable children, young people and their families.

The Integrated Strategy is based on five key themes, which emerged from the analysis:

• Strengthening prevention and diversion
• Improving flexibility and responsiveness to the complex and changing needs of families and children
• Community - based solutions to recognise local issues
• More effective support for Indigenous children and families
• Capacity building to improve services and processes.

The potential consequences of child abuse are serious and far - reaching and are a matter of concern for all Victorians. This strategy reflects a commitment to improving child protection and placement services to meet the needs of children, young people and their families. The Department of Human Services will continue to work in partnership with State and local government, community service organisations and key individuals to build a stronger and more responsive service system. The Integrated Strategy for Child Protection and Placement Services provides us with a strategic direction to achieve this outcome.