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Canberra Today 15°/18° | Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

A new strategy for children in out of home care

step up

ANDREW Barr and Mick Gentleman have announced “A Step Up for Our Kids”, a new strategy providing $16 million over three years to support children in out of home care.

“A Step Up for Our Kids” is intended to change the way the Government supports children and young people in care with a more tailored and responsive system.

“The five-year strategy A Step Up for Our Kids – One Step Can Make a Lifetime of Difference will provide key services that put the child at the centre by better focusing their needs, reducing disruptions to their support, providing better support for families and carers and creating systemic changes. The new approach will give more support for practices aimed at keeping families together, developing a more stable system of care for children and better support for carers,” Andrew said.

According to Mick the strategy represents a major transformation of the support provided to vulnerable children and young people living in the territory.

“Today, the ACT Labor Government is fulfilling its commitment to step up for Canberra’s children now and into the future,” Mick said.

“While meeting the needs of children and young people at risk and their families has always been important to this government, we are putting in place best practice measures that improve the quality of services and create a more cohesive system of support. The result will be better outcomes for our most vulnerable and disadvantaged children and young people.”

The new model of support detailed in the strategy will begin to come into effect from January 2016. It includes an expansion of Karinya House, a reduction in the time a carer must wait before applying for permanent guardianship of a child, improved support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and the introduction of a new oversight council to be chaired by leading foster care advocate Bev Orr to strengthen oversight and accountability.

A copy of the Strategy can be viewed online at: www.act.gov.au/cbrstepsup

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Thank you,

Ian Meikle, editor

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