Rumbalara will be one of two Aboriginal Services in the Hume region to share in nearly $1 million to support vulnerable aboriginal children and their families in the Hume region, Member for Shepparton and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Jeanette Powell said today.
Minister for Community Services Mary Wooldridge announced today for the first time, Aboriginal services across Victoria will be funded to provide both therapeutic out of home care for Aboriginal children who have been abused and/or neglected and support for young Aboriginal people transitioning from state care to independent living.
Mrs Powell said she has been pleased to work closely with the Minister for Community Services Mary Wooldridge on the importance of supporting vulnerable Aboriginal children and families.
“Sadly, child protection substantiations for indigenous children are unacceptably high with rates 10 times higher than for non-Indigenous children.
“The funding provided to Rumbalara is over four years and will enable them to provide much needed support to Aboriginal families and their children.
“This new approach provides local support for Aboriginal young people in times of great need which previously could only be accessed via mainstream services.
"The Protecting Victoria’s Vulnerable Children’s Inquiry will report to government shortly and I look forward to continuing to work with Minister Wooldridge to implement the recommendations and improve protection and support of Aboriginal children,” Mrs Powell said.
Funding will also go towards capacity building and strengthening of the ACCOs and their workforces to enable them to effectively deliver culturally responsive, high quality services to Aboriginal children and families.
Minister Wooldridge said high quality, responsive and culturally appropriate care and support can make a significant difference in young lives and help break the inter-generational cycle of disadvantage.
“By providing direct, specific funding and capacity building support to ACCOs, we recognise that strong and vibrant Aboriginal service providers are a crucial part of our system and help us to best meet the needs of young people who have experienced abuse and neglect,” Ms Wooldridge said.
Comments
Post has no comments.