- Minister for Prevention of Family Violence
More students in the Mallee will consider a career in supporting victim survivors of family violence, with the Andrews Labor Government providing new funding for student placements to grow the family violence workforce.
Minister for Prevention of Family Violence Gabrielle Williams today visited Mallee Sexual Assault Unit and Domestic Violence Services in Mildura, one of six Mallee organisations funded to offer student placements.
Some 67 La Trobe University Mildura students in their final year of a Bachelor of Human Services or Masters of Social Work will undertake placements through 2019 and 2020, as part of the Labor Government's Enhanced Pathways to Family Violence Work Project.
To grow a diverse and skilled family violence workforce, the Labor Government has invested more than $600,000 to help the six family violence and community organisations in the Mallee to support placements.
The funding will also support staff at the organisations to undertake supervision training sessions, to give them the skills to support students on placement as well as new workers.
The Royal Commission into Family Violence highlighted the importance of building a flexible and dynamic workforce. The Enhanced Pathways to Family Violence Work Project is part of the package to attract more people into the family violence sector.
Mallee Family Care is another organisation being funded to offer student placements in both 2019 and 2020. Mallee District Aboriginal Services will offer student placements in 2019 while Christie Centre Incorporated, Mallee Accommodation and Support Program and Sunraysia Community Health Services will offer placements in 2020.
Mallee Sexual Assault Unit and Domestic Violence Services will also receive funding to employ a Capability Building Coordinator in 2019 and 2020 to support all six participating organisations to access supervision training.
Over 1400 students will have undertaken placements across Victoria by 2020, thanks to almost $10 million in funding over the past two years for the Enhanced Pathways program.
As noted by Minister for Prevention of Family Violence Gabrielle Williams
"We congratulate these Mildura students learning about family violence support in their final year of study - this is just one part of the nation-leading $2.9 billion we have invested towards keeping women and children safe.
"Increasing student placements is a key part of our work to build the family violence workforce, which we know is incredibly important to the success of our groundbreaking reforms."
