Policy directions
Children, Youth & Families
Practice Updates
- The every child every chance website contains information onreforms to Victoria's child protection laws.
- The journal 'Reflect .... turning knowledge into practice' provides busy practitioners with a further opportunity to absorb current, relevant material.
- Best Interests Case Practice Forum July 2008 are presentations by Michael Naughton the Assistant Director of Child Protection Operations, and Robyn Miller the Principal Practitioner of Children Youth And Families.
Our priorities for 2008-2009
- Review the out of home care system
- Expanding placement prevention and reunification for clients in, or at risk of, entering the child protection system
- Release the 'Vulnureable Youth Framework'
- develop new ways of working in child protection
- Strengthen early intervention and prevention that work with vulnerable families
- Implement the child protection workforce strategy
- Further develop 'Best interests case practice management'
- implement concessions reform
- Implement Child Protection After Hours service reform
- implement Indigenous Agency regorm
- implement Youth Justice Service Delivery Model
Legislative context of our work
Background to the reforms ... Protecting Children Next Steps
Find the historical papers and background information such as the exposure draft of the Working With Children legislation and a discussion papers for public consultation at 'background to reforms'.
A focus on the most vulnerable children and families
The White Paper Protecting Children ..... the Next Steps set out the Government's new policy framework for vulnerable children, young people and families. This resulted from the review of legislation governing the Children's Court, child protection and community services, undertaken in recognition of increasingly complex needs of these children and families. The framework which underlies the new Children Youth and Families Act 2005, sets out the directions in which Children Youth & families will lead action in the coming years:
- Enshrining children and young people's best interests at the heart of all decision-making and service delivery across the service system, from early intervention through to the Children's Court
- New arrangements to achieve stability for children and young people who cannot live safely at home, in a timely way, to assure their healthy development
- Boosting earlier intervention where families have problems
- Child, youth and family services forming an integrated service system so that families receive the mix of services they need in a coordinated way
- Targeting seconday services at the most vulnerable groups and communities in Victoria
- Strengthening the cultural responsiveness of services so that community services are inclusive of children and young people from Aboriginal and other cultural backgrounds
- Keeping Aboriginal children and young people connected to their culture and community
Monitoring and planning for improvements in outcomes
Underthe Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005, the Minister for Children must promote the coordination of Government programs that affect child wellbeing and safety. Over 2006-2009, Children Youth& Families will lead action to:
- Coordinate efforts to collect, compile and make available information on how children and young people are faring in Victoria.
- Coordinate effort between government departments and other organisations through the Children's Services Coordination Board and through other bodies
- Plan for improvements in the ways the Victorian community supports children and their families, particularly in early childhood, so that the outcomes that matter to children will improve.
Principle legislation
The Department of Human Services
Growing Victoria Together
In November 2001, the Victorian Government released Growing Victoria Together - a statement about the State's priorities for the next 10 years.
- A Fairer Victoria - creating opportunity and addressing disadvantages, 28th April 2005. The plan sets out 85 actions for the Government within fourteen major strategies to address disadvantage in Victoria.
- Challenges in Addressing Disadvantage in Victoria - position paper. The paper outlines challenges and presents a framework for future action over the medium term.