Central Victorian workers call for early intervention funds for child support system

The Lost, not forgotten report from the Commission for Children and Young People examined the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the 35 children and teenagers in contact with child protection who died by suicide between 2007 and 2019.

It found "children's lives were marred by family violence, dysfunction and often chronic neglect", with substance abuse and mental illness common among parents. Aboriginal children were "overrepresented", the report said.

Read more: Number of Indigenous children in care set to soar

Most children received "ineffective" early intervention, characterised by delays and shallow focus, that meant complex risks became entrenched in their lives.

Centre for Non-Violence chief executive Margaret Augerinos said Victoria should put more energy into early intervention and engaging young people. Ms Augerinos said workers were doing their best in a stressed system, that needed reform.

Ninety-four per cent of the children were reported to have experienced family violence. More than 50 per cent were reported to have been sexually abused. Ninety-seven per cent of these children had a mother who had been the victim of family violence.

Ms Augerinos said violence could affect children's brain function, development, the ability to form attachment with their mother, create difficulty forming positive peer relationships and learning difficulties.

She said health and welfare professionals needed to understand the effect of trauma on children.

The report found 49 per cent of children had disclosed an intention to take their own life in the week prior to their death.

"It's just a tragedy really that children and young people are help seeking in that way and we're unable to support them," Ms Augerinos said.

Seventeen per cent of the children who died were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

Warning: some content in the report may be distressing.

Bendigo and District Aboriginal Cooperative chief executive Raylene Harradine said the state needed to invest in the "front end" of the system to mitigate the risk of youth suicide.

Ms Harradine said this might involve funding resources to bring communities together, creating a caring model and providing activity for young people to combat isolation.

Read more: BDAC celebrates chance to keep at-risk kids in family networks

Ninety-four per cent of the children were reported to have experienced family violence. More than 50 per cent were reported to have been sexually abused. Ninety-seven per cent of these children had a mother who had been the victim of family violence.

Ms Harradine said this might involve funding resources to bring communities together, creating a caring model and providing activity for young people to combat isolation.

She said the Indigenous community faced the effects of trauma from Australia's history of taking children away, passed on through generations.

Ms Harradine said Victoria needed to make sure young Indigenous knew their culture and were proud of it.

She said programs such as BDAC's planned early learning centre could embed culture in young children, sending them to school proud.

"If they've got culture it gives them more resilience to be able to be strong in themselves," she said.

Anglicare Victoria chief executive Paul McDonald said he was struck by the missed opportunities to respond to children's needs.

Mr McDonald said demand was "galloping away" from the care system's capability.

He said Victoria needed to build a sustainable system, rather than one which families encountered episodically.

Mr McDonald said Anglicare had learnt to be proactive in engaging families, even those who were initially reluctant to have contact with support services.

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