Mission to the Streets and Lanes of Melbourne established.

Mission of St James and St John commences.

St John’s Homes for Boys and Girls set up in Melbourne.

The Anglican Welfare Agency Act 1997 is proclaimed. Under this Act, the Mission to the Streets and Lanes of Melbourne (established 1886); Mission of St James and St John (1919); and St John’s Homes for Boys and Girls (1921) were amalgamated to form AV.

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AV begins operation, with John Wilson as inaugural Chief Executive and Bishop Andrew Curnow as Chairperson. This is followed by the official launch by the Governor-General, Sir William Deane and Archbishop Keith Rayner on 12 August.

A new program, Strengthening Families, is launched with the aim of reducing child abuse by tackling family problems in the early stages.

ParentZone resource centres are established in Frankston, Preston, Gippsland, and Ringwood, providing parents and caregivers with free information, support, and a range of referrals. This program has since expanded across all of AV’s regions and after 25 years more than 4,600 people a year were using this service.

Learn more about ParentZone

By its first anniversary, AV’s budget is $25 million, with 100+ programs, 40 separate locations, across five regions.

The Wanjana Lidj Aboriginal Family Preservation Service in Gippsland is launched and aims to keep families together by providing counselling and in-home support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the region.

'Catering for the Community' is launched, an employment, education, and training program for young people in Out of Home Care.

The Federal Government’s ‘Tough on Drugs’ campaign is launched at AV’s head office.

Financial counselling services are developed and AV goes on to become one of the state’s largest providers of this service over the next two decades.

Read more about Financial Counselling services

AV begins providing “No Interest Loan Scheme” to low-income residents of the City of Wyndham, initially for the purchase of new white goods.

Canon Dr Ray Cleary is appointed as Chief Executive Officer.

Gippsland Community Legal Service opens.

Visit the GCLS website

Peaceful Warriors, a mentoring for at risk boys and young men commences in the Yarra Ranges.

Learn more about Peaceful Warriors program

AV’s Christmas Appeal is launched by the Victorian Premier, Hon. Steve Bracks.

Dr Graeme Blackman is appointed Chairman.

The Lazarus Centre begins providing meals and support for homeless people in Melbourne CBD. It is a joint initiative with St Peter’s Eastern Hill, St Paul’s Cathedral, The Order of St Lazarus and AV.

AV’s new four-year Strategic Directions is launched by then Minister for Community Services Bronwyn Pike.

Victoria’s Anglican Criminal Justice Ministry becomes part of AV, serving 13 prisons in Victoria.

A new partnership with Diocese of Wangaratta is launched and becomes a key local gathering place to receive Emergency Relief and other support.

Learn about our parish partnerships

AV begins providing family services in Gippsland in partnership with Kilmany Family Care and West Gippsland Healthcare.

AV establishes its Preston site, bringing together Youth and Family Services.

AV launches a new logo and positioning statement: ‘Supporting Families, Building Communities’.

Counterpoint, AV’s refuge for young women fleeing family violence, celebrates its tenth anniversary.

The inaugural ‘Dinner with the Angels,’ a major fundraiser, is held, with 15 chefs from Melbourne’s top restaurants donating their time.

The inaugural Neale G. Molloy Social Justice Lecture on ‘Poverty and the Law’ is delivered by Victorian Law Reform Commissioner, Professor Marcia Neave.

Communities for Children program launches at Frankston.

AV completes a major review of its residential care programs and with the support of a major benefactor, adds extensive wrap-around services to support children in residential care.

AV’s Central Office moves from West Melbourne to Collingwood.

AV commences providing family violence service Child FIRST in Eastern Melbourne.

The Ballarat Diocese and AV develop a partnership to deliver Emergency Relief services and community support programs throughout the region.

By its tenth anniversary, AV has grown to an organisation with $40 million in revenue, 100 programs, and 50 locations.

Launch of a new three-year Strategic Plan.

A new policy, research, and innovation unit is created to improve program outcomes and inform our contributions to public debate on social justice issues.

Dr Graeme Blackman OAM retires as Chairperson and is succeeded by Damian Neylon.

After the Black Saturday fires, AV provides financial counselling, emergency relief, legal aid, and parenting and community support across affected regions, collaborating with local agencies and Parishes.

AV launches a comprehensive best practice roadmap for family practitioners. These “Pillars of Practice” articulate how we work with families to help them raise children in a safe, stable and nurturing environment.

Dr Ray Cleary retires as Chief Executive after ten years’ service and is succeeded by Paul McDonald.

AV began delivering the Communities for Children program in the Cardinia Shire.

AV launches its first Reconciliation Action Plan.

After starting as a sewing group for Sudanese women at a Church in Box Hill, over the following decade, the Dream Stitches program starts increasing its community engagement to enhance the life skills of both the women and their children.

AV’s Strategic Plan 2012–2015 is launched.

AV expands our residential homes to the southern metro region.

AV develops TEACHaR (Transforming Educational Achievement of Children at Risk), an innovative new program designed to lift the educational outcomes of our children.

Learn more about TEACHaR

The inaugural Children’s Day (Toolangi, MEC) is held in the lead up to Christmas, providing a day of rides, food and activities for families and children in Out-of-Home Care.

St Luke’s merges with AV. St Luke’s was established in 1979 by the Anglican Diocese of Bendigo with the support of the Uniting Church, growing to become a key provider of care services in Victoria’s north-west.

The inaugural annual Chairperson’s Awards are held to acknowledge excellence among our clients, foster carers, volunteers and staff.

AV’s second Reconciliation Action Plan is launched.

A new intensive intervention program, Rapid Response™, is trialled and is created to and help families in crisis stay together safely, avoiding the need for children to be placed in Out-of-Home Care. This program goes on to become accredited as one of the home-grown Evidence-Based Models in Australia.

Learn more about Rapid Response

With Chief Executive Paul McDonald at the helm, AV launches the Home Stretch campaign. The goal is to extend state care to 21 years in each Australian state and territory.

Visit the Home Stretch website

Damian Neylon retires from the role of Chairperson and is succeeded by Stephen Newton AO.

AV launches a new logo and positioning statement: ‘Better Tomorrows’.

The trial of a new model of residential care, Keep Embracing Your Success (KEYS), brings specialised workers to provide tailored education and employment support to young people with complex needs.

Buldau Yiooghen is created in partnership with the Long Walk. Founded on the principle that connection to culture is an essential foundation for success in life, it provides cultural support, mentoring and opportunities to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people.

Learn more about Buldau Yioohgen

COMPASS Leaving Care is launched. Funded by what was then Australia’s largest Social Impact Bond, this ground-breaking partnership between AV and VincentCare delivers positive outcomes for younger people transitioning from out-of-home care (OOHC).

Visit the Compass Leaving Care website

AV’s Strategic Intent 2018-2020 is created.

AV obtains Rainbow Tick accreditation, recognising the agency as achieving the highest standard of LGBTIQ+ inclusive practice and service delivery.

Read our journey to Rainbow Tick Accreditation

AV expands into the western metro regions with eight new residential units. AV has now grown to become one of Victoria’s largest providers of residential care.

Learn more about Residential Care

Family violence services expand to support more families who are victims of violence, with the focus on growing our men’s behaviour change programs, and services for adolescents who are violent in the home.

View our Family Violence services

As the COVID-19 pandemic hit, AV responded to a State Government requests to provide a safe place for COVID positive homeless young people to self-isolate, refitting and staffing an inner-city property within six weeks.

When nine public housing towers in Kensington are suddenly locked down during the pandemic, AV quickly steps up to provide critical support to over 200 families within days of a government request.

The new Strategic Agenda 2020-2024 is launched.

The Victorian Government’s Working for Victoria partnership allows AV to bolster staff numbers in new roles to help those in urgent need of support during the pandemic.

Village 21 is launched by Victorian Housing Minister Richard Wynne. A $1.2 million partnership between AV and Kids Under Cover, Village21 is a housing and support service in Preston that aims to give Care Leavers a positive start to their adult lives.

Five years after Home Stretch is launched, Victoria becomes the first state to adopt this life-changing reform to extend care to 21 years, as the advocacy campaign gains momentum across Australia.

Stephen Newton AO retires as Chairperson and is temporarily succeeded by John Chesterman and then Matthew Pringle.

Under the new government Family Preservation and Reunification (FPR) Response designed to provide positive interventions in families at risk of having their children removed, AV begins delivering Rapid Response™, Functional Family Therapy and Practice Elements in all regions. Multi Systemic Therapy also becomes part of the FPR Model.

AV partners with top rating radio station the FOX 101.9 radio campaign to raise over $250,000 to provide presents to in-need Victorian kids.

Read our special report

AV now operates 28 residential care homes across the state, providing safe homes for young people.

AV has become the largest Orange Door provider supporting people experiencing family violence.

Leading disability provider Yooralla partners with AV to support young people in care who have a disability.

AV launched Victoria’s first foster care support ‘constellation,’ Mockingbird Family in Bendigo, providing an improved evidence-informed support to foster carers.

Learn more about MOCKINGBIRD FAMILY™

On our Twenty Fifth anniversary – AV has grown to an organisation with $200 million in revenue, more than 120 programs, and operates out of 93 locations, in six regions across Victoria.

Tony Sheumack commences as AV’s new Chairperson.