- Scholarships available for two specialised training programs for people working with children and young people with complex trauma
- $100,000 provided by the McGowan Government to support 450 scholarships
- Training through the Australian Centre for Child Protection Western Australia helps practitioners better support children and young people affected by abuse and trauma
Scholarships are being offered for specialised child trauma training programs delivered through the Australian Centre for Child Protection Western Australia (ACCP-WA).
The McGowan Government has provided $100,000 to ACCP-WA to support 450 scholarship opportunities in 2023 for people working with children and young people with complex trauma.
This includes child protection practitioners and other professionals who work with children and young people impacted by trauma, such as police and healthcare workers.
There are 290 places open for applicants across two programs:
- 250 scholarships, worth $500 each, for eligible WA professionals to attend the specially designed course on Understanding Childhood Trauma; and
- 40 scholarships, worth $2300 each, for eligible WA professionals to attend the updated and specially designed course on Assessing Childhood Trauma.
The training programs are designed to help Western Australian practitioners better understand, respond, assess, and treat children and young people affected by abuse and abuse-related trauma.
Further scholarships will become available throughout the rest of the year.
The ACCP is a nationally focussed centre that conducts research and professional training that helps enhance policy and practice to safeguard children.
The McGowan Government provided $2.3 million to support the establishment of the WA branch of the organisation.
This scholarship funding reinforces the McGowan Government's commitment to implementing the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, particularly the need for a high-quality workforce to provide evidence-based therapeutic services for abuse-related trauma.
For further information on the scholarships and to apply, visit ACCP-WA's course page.
Applications close at 5pm AWST on 24 February 2023.
As stated by Child Protection Minister Sabine Winton:
"No child should ever have to suffer trauma or abuse, but that's what our child protection practitioners face and respond to in their work each day.
"These child protection workers do such important work striving to improve the lives of children and young people impacted by trauma. These opportunities for professional development will help them to better support and respond to the needs of these young people.
"Investing in specialised training programs to build our child protection workforce's capability and understanding of these complex issues is invaluable. It also shows our continued support and commitment to protecting children and ongoing response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse."
