Media Release by The Hon Jenny Macklin MP

Funding for new research on vulnerable children

Joint Media Release with:

  • The Hon Jenny Macklin MP, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs

  • The Hon Julie Collins MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Community Services

Academics and practitioners will have the opportunity to do more research on vulnerable children, with $600,000 available over the next three years.

The funding for the National Research Agenda for Protecting Children 2011-2014 was announced at the Standing Council on Community, Housing and Disability Services today in Sydney.

This research will help governments identify issues and priority areas for action to help protect children from child abuse and neglect, including:

  • prevention
  • early intervention and therapeutic responses
  • out-of-home care

The research agenda is a collaborative effort between the Australian Government, state and territory governments, and the non-government sector.

It will help set the direction for future policy and service delivery for Australian families, and strengthen partnerships across the child protection sector.

The Australian Government is also working with the states and territories to develop a nationally consistent approach to planning for young people leaving out of home care.

To do this, new National Standards for Out of Home Care started on 1 July this year, under which the progress of all state and territory governments will be monitored.

These new standards give young people leaving care the support they need to access housing, education and financial assistance, as well as find employment, receive help to develop and maintain their health and wellbeing and improve their independent living skills.

To further support this work, a new online resource will be developed by mid next year to share good practices across all states and territories in transitioning young people from out of home care.

Transitioning from out-of-home care to independence: a Nationally Consistent Approach to Planning is available at http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/sa/families/pubs/ncalc_rpt/Pages/default.aspx