Support services in region, across a range of sectors – from health to legal services – formed a united front this week, calling for a greater focus on early intervention programs for society’s most needy.

Bendigo Community Health Services chief executive officer Kim Sykes said there was growing demand for BCHS’ early years services, and suggested a greater emphasis on trauma prevention in future government planning was required.

“This is not about money - it’s about making vulnerable Victorians a priority. It’s about holding them in mind because they are often invisible,” she said.

“If we can intervene very early in some of the things we know will have lifelong impact, it will improve outcomes for people.

“There’s a hell of a lot of really tragic things that happen. It isn't good enough to see generational repeats of this. Let's think about how we can reduce the chance that some little one (child) is going to experience trauma and have to be taken away from their family.”

With the state election a week away, ARC Justice executive officer Hayley Mansfield said access to legal and tenancy support was important to ensure people’s rights are protected.

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“Ensuring people’s rights are upheld is at the core of an equitable society and so important for the health of our community,” she said.

“Unmet legal and tenancy issues can impact a person’s wellbeing in many ways, interacting negatively with physical and mental health. So timely access to support is critical to avoid this escalation.”

Campaspe Primary Care Partnership executive officer Emma Brentnall said equity access was a priority area with a focus on strengthening service provider knowledge, skills and resources related to vulnerable and disadvantaged groups.

Ms Brentnall said gaining better access for people to find the right services for the support they need was essential.

The Victorian Council of Social Service chief executive officer Emma King said policymakers and political candidates must listen to the voices of regional communities. “People in local communities are best placed to identify local challenges and develop local solutions,” she said.

Last week it emerged that one in five people in Bendigo – a total of 23,516 – had sought help from the region’s 10 leading not-for-profit community sector organisations in the past financial year.

Women who had experienced family violence or sexual assault accounted for more than 6000 of those.

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