- Cook Government rolls out $1.2 million to expand counselling support for children and young people affected by family and domestic violence
- Forms part of $8.23 million package aimed at supporting victims of family and domestic violence
- Funding now available for eligible organisations to provide appropriate and tailored counselling services
The Cook Government is progressing support for children and young people impacted by family and domestic violence with $1.2 million enabling three senior counsellor roles across Western Australia.
Organisations with existing Department of Communities service agreements to provide specialist family and domestic violence services are eligible to apply for one senior counsellor position by responding to an Expression of Interest released on Tenders WA.
It will ensure victims have access to trauma-responsive counselling, strengthen their visibility in the family and domestic violence system and support their healing and recovery.
The three successful organisations will be funded over two years to provide individual and group trauma-responsive counselling to approximately 150 children and young people.
The funding is part of a $8.23 million package allocated over four years from 2024-25 to deliver a range of initiatives aimed at providing effective and accessible therapeutic responses to children and young people affected by family and domestic violence.
As part of this package, request for tenders will be advertised in 2025-26 for the following initiatives:
- three pilot therapeutic services for children and young people, including two Indigenous Healing Services; and
- the development of a centralised web-based and telehealth service for children and young people.
Sector consultation and co-design processes will be conducted over the next three months to inform procurements.
This investment delivers on a key ask from the 2023 Family and Domestic Violence Summit and aligns with the Family and Domestic Violence System Reform Plan 2024 to 2029, Path to Safety: Western Australia's strategy to reduce family and domestic violence 2020-2030 and the Aboriginal Family Safety Strategy 2022-2032.
More information can be found at the Tenders WA website.
As stated by Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence Minister Jessica Stojkovski:
"We know exposure to family and domestic violence has profound adverse effects on children and young people.
"This funding will be allocated to community organisations to ensure that children and young people, as victim-survivors in their own right, have access to appropriate and tailored counselling services.
"The Cook Government is committed to reducing family and domestic violence in WA and boosting the services and professionals who are highly motivated to support children and young people impacted."
