Thursday, 30 May 2024

Ministers statements: family services

Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:17): I rise to update the house on how the Allan Labor government is continuing to invest in family services, providing early intervention to at-risk families. In the 2024–25 budget we are investing $198 million in family services, providing funding for family preservation and reunification response, early help family services, family group conferencing, Putting Families First and other family services aimed at diverting families from statutory services. I am proud to say that this investment continues to grow the total funding for family services, and we are investing in these programs because we know that they work. Funding from the 2024–25 state budget will enable 3330 families to continue to benefit from the early help family service, over 1400 families per year to continue to have access to the family preservation and reunification response, over 1400 families to have access to family group conferencing and 72 families to have access to Putting Families First.

Overall, our family services platform provides statewide coverage across a continuum of needs from emerging to complex. Services are designed to be repeatable, adaptive, flexible and scalable. This includes capacity to respond to specific ages and stages and different family contexts. Importantly, culturally safe practices support work with Aboriginal children and families. We have more than tripled funding for family services from $120 million per annum in 2012–13 under those opposite to $425 million per annum in 2024–25.

Last sitting week I advised the house that I was assuming that those opposite were not intending to be dishonest by alleging that we had cut the child protection and family services output, and to assist them I provided those opposite with the page references in the ‘Department Performance Statement’ – 39 for a reminder – that showed our increase in this funding. But just yesterday, despite me providing assistance in how to read a budget paper and interpret data, we saw quotes in the Herald Sun from the shadow minister again misleading the Victorian people by stating that we had cut the child protection and family services output. President, we will keep investing in child protection and family services while those opposite – (Time expired)