Anglicare Victoria has welcomed the announcement of additional funding for the Live-In Mentor and Cradle to Kinder programs to address the ongoing level of youth disadvantage in the Gippsland and Southern regions.
“This funding goes right to the heart of where we need to invest to ensure vulnerable young people within the Gippsland region are able to receive the ongoing support they require,” said Anglicare Victoria Chief Executive Paul McDonald.
“Both the Live-In Mentor and C2K program models are evidence-based approaches that present highly innovative, new ways to help vulnerable young people,” he said.
“Now we will have the ability to assist more young mothers, in need of extra support, as well as to support young people leaving out-of-home care. We know historically that young people leaving the care system find it very hard to make the transition to independence, therefore this extra support is vital.”
“It’s ultimately an investment in the futures of the State’s most vulnerable individuals, which will assist with the creation of positive change and help break the cycle of disadvantage,” said Mr McDonald.
The Live-In Mentor program will help young people leaving out-of-home care successfully transition to independent living.
For new expectant mothers under 25 and their families, the expansion of the Cradle to Kinder (C2K) program will allow for more support, commencing at pregnancy and continuing until the child reaches four years of age.
A total of five new properties will be set up across inner Gippsland, Southern Melbourne and Bayside Peninsula areas. Live in Mentors and Cultural Mentors will be recruited to provide leadership, mentoring and positive role modelling to the young people.
The additional funding for C2K ensures an extra eight families in the South Gippsland and the Bass Coast region will receive ongoing, intensive family and early parenting support, as well as further investment into the Aboriginal C2K program, provided by the Victorian Aboriginal Child Agency (VACCA.)
The Mentoring Learning and Support program is a partnership between Anglicare Victoria and VACCA and will support young people between 16 and 18 years of age transition out of residential care. This unique program relies on “Live In Mentors” and Cultural Mentors who have the right skills, commitment and passion for working with young people and their families. They will provide leadership, mentoring and positive role modelling.
The program will allow young people to be provided with targeted, tailored and intensive support in a planned way and earlier in age, so that they can further develop and enhance the skills they require over a two year period and exit care as resourceful, skilled and independent young adults.
The Minister for Families and Children, The Hon. Jenny Mikakos will visit Anglicare Victoria in Morwell to announce the C2K and Live-In Mentor program expansion on Wednesday April 5th at 1.55pm.
