Women and children suffering family violence are at the forefront of the Andrews Labor government agenda, with an additional $5.65 million statewide funding boost.
The announcement was made on Wednesday by Minister for Families and Children Jenny Mikakos.
The funding will be invested into Child FIRST and Integrated Family Services, and will be allocated to service providers across the state to meet growing demand accordingly.
The money will go a long towards partnerships with family violence services and in prioritising family violence responses to Aboriginal children and families.
“Family violence is the number one law and order issue in Australia,” said Ms Mikakos.
“We’re giving families the support they need to prevent violence and keep children safe. We’re identifying risky situations early to reduce the need for more intensive child protection interventions.”
The move is a direct response to a recommendation in the Royal Commission into Family Violence, which called for more funding to be provided to service providers pending the establishment of much-needed Support and Safety Hubs.
The funding is in addition to the $48 million boost to Child FIRST and Integrated Family Services in the Labor government’s first budget, and is the biggest boost in the history of the Child Protection budget.
The state government is also pursuing the matter as a chance for reform, in a bid to shift the focus from crisis response to prevention and early intervention.
“Children who are victims of family violence sometimes become perpetrators themselves. We need to intervene to break the cycle of violence, and keep not just this generation of children safe, but future ones too,” added Ms Mikakos.