SERVICES
KAI ’ s Story
Kai ’ s story shows the courage many young people need to survive their traumatic childhood . Removed from his family when he was two , Kai was moved 30 times before he turned 18 . Kai ’ s girlfriend became pregnant and he was determined their child would experience a different childhood . When he was referred to our Leaving Care program in the North , they were living in an unregistered boarding house , had no food and needed urgent health attention . Amazingly , Kai was still attending the local community school and wanted to complete VCAL to help him secure work . Over the next 12 months , we helped them find transitional housing , linked them to our family services and counselling programs , supported them through the birth of their son and encouraged Kai to continue with his drug and alcohol counsellor , with whom he had a strong bond .
Kai enrolled in a Certificate III in Community Services and in August last year he and his family moved into a two bedroom public housing property .
A KPMG consultant fed back to the Northern Family Violence Team “ We felt the positive vibe from staff just walking around the office and it is a credit to yourself and staff that Berry Street has such a welcoming and collegiate environment ”.
Family Services
Wherever possible , the best place for children is with a parent or parents who love and cherish them . However , many parents can ’ t be the parents they want to be – poor or unstable housing , substance misuse , mental illness , isolation and their own poor childhood experience - gets in the way .
Through our Family Services programs , we work with parents to understand what their child needs and , where relevant , to get the help they need to deal with their own issues .
Some of the highlights included :
J J Our Happening Families program in Gippsland , which helped 69 children and young parents through supported playgroups , was Highly Commended in the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development ’ s Early Childhood Awards
J J Providing supervised access and changeovers for 501 children through our three Children ’ s Contact Centres in Watsonia , Richmond and Shepparton and helping 194 parents understand how to provide the best possible experience for their child post separation
J J Working with 144 families and 382 children in the North and Gippsland on issues which , if left , might result in their child being removed
J J Helping 456 young people in the North and Ballarat to resolve conflict with their families , which otherwise might lead to them leaving home
Family Violence
One of our public advocacy themes is No Place for Violence . With over 10,700 contacts with our two family violence services in Ballarat and the North , as a community we clearly have a long way to go before women and children can live safely at home .
Demand on our family violence services has doubled in two years . This increase reflects the proactive approach taken by the Police and a greater understanding in the community that violence is never okay .
Our dedicated staff have done a truly amazing job in responding to this increased demand and remaining focussed on the needs of the women and children . However , as more resources need to be directed to intake , there is less time for the follow up work the women and children so desperately need . Some additional resourcing is now urgent .
Some of the highlights included :
J J Responding to referrals of 9132 women in the North and 736 in Ballarat and assisting 122 women with 172 children through Gwen ’ s Refuge in Ballarat
J J The continued success of the Risk Assessment Management Panel in Broadmeadows , which brings together the Police , Child Protection and other key stakeholders to share information and develop safety plans for women most at risk
J J The development of a DVD through the Federal Government ’ s Child Aware Grants , which helps other professionals understand the impact of family violence on children
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