Funding for trauma-informed work with adolescents who use family violence
Family violence
The Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence examined the system’s capacity to provide supports to young people who use violence and made recommendations in relation to this. The funding is much needed because we know adolescent family violence is under-reported and very few services exist to support families. New data shows anxiety, mental health difficulties and the use of violence by adolescents at home has skyrocketed in Victoria during the pandemic.
The new funding will support young people and their families to:
- reduce the severity or completely stop the use of adolescent family violence
- build or repair the young person’s positive relationships with parents, siblings, other family, community and peers
- improve safety and stability for all family members
- improve emotional health and wellbeing for the young person
- improve parenting capacity, and
- reduce family stress, anxiety, guilt and shame.
Take Two clinicians will work with case managers to provide therapeutic support and help them access services to assist them to recover from other issues including alcohol and drug abuse, mental health problems, housing insecurity and not engaging in school, other education or work.
The program will prioritise adolescents who live with a single female caregiver or parent, are living with younger children and those who are at risk of becoming homeless because of their use of family violence.
Senior Manager Kim Schroeder said Berry Street was chosen for its expertise and experience.
‘Berry Street’s Take Two program have a lot of experience and specialist skills in family violence and child-focussed therapeutic skills in the northern region,’ said Kim, ‘so this new funding is a great fit.’
In the north eastern suburbs of Melbourne Berry Street also provide:
- specialist family violence services
- Take Two - the statewide trauma-recovery service for children in out-of-home care
- Restoring Childhood - the child-focused family violence service as part of the Northern Healing and Recovery Program
- other child and family support services.
While the pilot program is currently only funded until mid this year, we’re hopeful it will be funded beyond that because we know the demand from the community for these services is certainly there.
*Models are used in our photos to protect the identity of the children and families we work with.
Berry Street forms part of new Mental Health Statewide Trauma Service
