Right in the mix: Roles of Victorian councils in the delivery of services to vulnerable young people Report of the MAV/DEECD Partnership project July 2013 Contents Contents .................................................................................................................................................. 2 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 3 Summary of findings ............................................................................................................................... 3 Project aim .............................................................................................................................................. 5 Consultation ............................................................................................................................................ 5 The service delivery continuum .............................................................................................................. 7 The early years .................................................................................................................................... 7 Maternal and Child health services .................................................................................................... 7 Youth Services ..................................................................................................................................... 7 The ‘Generalist youth worker’ ............................................................................................................ 8 Primary/early intervention services.................................................................................................... 8 Secondary intervention ....................................................................................................................... 9 Frameworks for service delivery ......................................................................................................... 9 A Role for Local Government ................................................................................................................ 11 Prevention ......................................................................................................................................... 11 Secondary and tertiary services ........................................................................................................ 11 Planning role ..................................................................................................................................... 12 Coordination role .............................................................................................................................. 12 Data and data collection ................................................................................................................... 12 Value adding ..................................................................................................................................... 12 Programs delivered in schools .......................................................................................................... 13 State funded programs ..................................................................................................................... 13 Case studies: ......................................................................................................................................... 15 Rural City of Ararat............................................................................................................................ 15 Bayside City Council .......................................................................................................................... 18 Brimbank City Council ....................................................................................................................... 21 Corangamite Shire ............................................................................................................................ 24 City of Greater Dandenong ............................................................................................................... 28 Monash City Council ......................................................................................................................... 32 Rural City of Wodonga ...................................................................................................................... 36 Conclusions and opportunities ............................................................................................................. 39 References ............................................................................................................................................ 41 Appendix One: Interview schedule ....................................................................................................... 43 MAV: DEECD Youth Partnerships: Local Government Project Final Report 2 Introduction This report is the result of a project which emerged from the partnership between the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) and the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV). That partnership recognised that the local government sector in Victoria is a strong contributor to programs, projects and resources aimed at Victoria’s young people and agreed to facilitate research to highlight good practice in local government and in particular, that which related to vulnerable young people. Summary of findings • All councils visited believe they could play a key role in the delivery of universal prevention and early intervention programs for young people in Victoria. Indeed, 43 of 45 Councils provide what they would describe as ‘Generalist’ Youth Services, offering early intervention and prevention services. • Pre-existing platforms of service delivery (for example: early year’s, ChildFIRST) could be reconfigured or broadened to include universal preventative programs for children and young people. • Councils are pivotal to service and community planning; connecting services and developing partnerships within municipalities and regions. Councils understand their communities, turning data into knowledge and action. • The majority of councils visited are delivering preventative and resilience building programs in schools with positive outcomes. However, because programs are based on informal relationships rather than any formal agreements with schools, personnel changes at the school can affect program continuity. Further, limited capacity, particularly in the small rural shires, means that programs currently cannot reach all schools within a municipality. Of the 45 councils studied, 32 do some work within local schools. • Few councils believe they should be delivering ‘tertiary services’ and where this does happen, reasons for delivering these services are either historical; or as a result of an emerging unmet need and are thus time limited. Of the 45 councils studied, 11 were delivering what might be described as ‘tertiary services’. • Several councils contribute internal funding to youth services of more than a million dollars and 41 of 45 councils provide funding for youth services over and above that provided by state and federal governments. • Of the 45 councils included in the study, 38 are involved in programs delivered in schools or in partnership with schools. • Properly funded, these formal partnerships between councils and schools could build the capacity of schools to improve student wellbeing and engagement. • Youth strategies, plans and/or charters guide the work of 34 of the 45 councils included in the study. • Youth services work with an age range of 12- 25 in 33 of the 45 councils included in the study. MAV: DEECD Youth Partnerships: Local Government Project Final Report 3 • Youth services work with an age range of 10 - 25 in 12 of the 45 councils included in the study. • Of the 45 councils included in the study, 21 of these have between 1 and 5 EFT dedicated to working with young people. • Of the 45 councils included in the study, 11 of these have between 6 and 10 EFT dedicated to working with young people. • Of the 45 councils included in the study, 13 of these have more than 10 EFT dedicated to working with young people. • Of the 45 councils included in the study, 11 of these facilitate a program specifically to address the needs of GLBTIQ young people. • Of the 45 councils included in the study, 16 of these operate in what may be described as the ‘middle years’—that period in a young person’s life between 8 and 12 years. • Of the 45 councils included in the study, 7 of these offer a young mother’s and/or parent’s program. MAV: DEECD Youth Partnerships: Local Government Project Final Report 4 Project aim • To understand what role the local government sector considers it should play in supporting vulnerable Victorian young people. • To understand the current level and nature of programs, programs and other activity in supporting vulnerable Victorian young people. • To highlight areas of good practice and innovation. • To highlight both enablers of, and barriers to, supporting vulnerable Victorian young people. Consultation A desk top audit of council websites identified current youth strategies, programs and projects across each Victorian council. An interview schedule was (attached as appendix one) to guide the research. Face to face interviews were conducted with representatives of forty-four
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