Community Services Minister | SilverScorpio.Com

Mental health funding for Riverina

April 13, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

The Federal Government says Riverina people with a mental illness will have access to more support as a result of ongoing Commonwealth funding.

Lambing Flat Enterprises based at Young and the Schizophrenia Fellowship in Wagga Wagga will each receive $1.4 million funding for the next three years to continue its work in community mental health services.

The Federal Community Services Minister Jenny Macklin says the money is for the Personal Helpers and Mentors Program which allows people to access intensive help.

“It’s support for a whole range of different types of services,” she said.

“Some of it might be really making sure that people with mental illness are less socially isolated, helping them learn new skills, connecting them with family and friends, providing support to find suitable housing.

“People can be helped to get to their psychiatric appointments for example, make sure that they go and get more specialised health services that they need in addition to this community support.”

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Fees to rise under childcare changes

April 8, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Childcare fees will rise by up to $4 a day under a new staffing ratio to be introduced next year, the New South Wales Government says.

All centre-based and mobile children’s services will have to employ one staff member for every four children in care aged two or under from January.

The change from the current ratio of 1:5 is being introduced ahead of a national January 2012 deadline but one year later than originally announced.

Community Services Minister Linda Burney says an economic impact analysis has found fees will rise by $1 to $4 a day.

“Our discussions with parents [have found] they believe that the quality their children will get will outweigh the extra cost that will come with it,” she said.

Ms Burney says the changes have been delayed to give the industry and parents time to prepare.

She says an independent survey has found more than a third of childcare centres already operate at a 1:4 ratio.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: childcare, Community Services Minister, Current Ratio, Economic Impact Analysis, independent survey, Linda Burney, Mobile Children, New South Wales, New South Wales Government, parents, South Wales Government, staff member, Staffing Ratio

New youth crime laws ‘toughest in Australia’

March 30, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

The Queensland Government says it is cracking down on youth crime but the Opposition says new laws will make little difference.

Community Services Minister Karen Struthers says from today, Queensland courts have new powers to name serious juvenile offenders and impose curfews.

Ms Struthers says she is still reviewing whether 17-year-olds will continue to be treated as adults in the criminal justice system.

Queensland is the only Australian jurisdiction with that policy and advocacy groups have repeatedly called for change.

The changes were an election promise last year, but the Opposition says they were first flagged in 2001.

Ms Struthers says young offenders who do not change their ways will feel the full force of the law.

“We’ve got the toughest laws in Australia and we’re getting tougher – people are feeling unsafe and we’re not going to cop this any longer,” he said.

“Young people need to know that there is help available – we are trying to put young people back on track early and intervene early.

“But for those who don’t take up those opportunities at jobs and to get off drugs and those sort of things that are impacting their offending behaviour, they’ll certainly feel the full force of the law.”

Ms Struthers says she has visited the youth centre that is part of a Brisbane adult prison and 17-year-olds are involved in education and other programs.

“But the youth detention centre offers a more fulsome range of programs, vocational education and training, and that certainly seems to be a very important part of the rehabilitation for young people,” she said.

“Those sorts of things are the things I’m looking at to see which system is the better system.”

But Opposition spokesman Rosemary Menkens says the new laws will have little impact, because young offenders are not being rehabilitated.

“I don’t believe that these new changes are going to make much difference at all,” she said.

“We supported the changes but this Government is soft on crime – this Government’s approach is not improving youth crime at all.

“We’re seeing a revolving door with youth crime and no matter how tough they talk. it is not working.”

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Domestic violence project destined for Kempsey

March 11, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

The New South Wales Government has earmarked Kempsey for funding to run a domestic violence program.

The Staying Home Leaving Violence initiative was rolled out across the state last year, allowing women and children to stay at home while the violent partner was removed.

The program offers security upgrades to the home, counselling and legal advice during court cases.

The Community Services Minister, Linda Burney, says the program being expanded to 10 new centres including Kempsey.

“The program will commence at the beginning of the next financial year,” she said.

“It’s just such an innovative way of dealing with domestic violence, instead of the victims which is usually mum and the kids leaving home, it’s actually the perpetrator.”

Local groups keen to run the program can submit an expression of interest.

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Help extended to domestic violence victims

March 11, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

A domestic violence support program is being extended across the Hunter region, providing practical measures to ensure women do not have to flee the family home.

The New South Wales Government program began in Newcastle last year and early results show two-thirds of women were able to remain at home after the violent partner had left.

Community Services Minister Linda Burney says it will now be extended to Lake Macquarie and Maitland, with women offered upgrades to home security to ensure they feel safe.

“Instead of mum and the kids having to escape the home, disrupting their lives, changing schools, it’s actually the perpetrator that has to leave the home,” she said.

“This program puts bars, changes locks, gives support to the woman dealing with the police, but most importantly the family gets a dedicated case worker who becomes the rock to make sure we follow this right through for the woman.”

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Case Worker, Community Services Minister, Domestic Violence Support, Domestic Violence Victims, Government Program, Home Security, Hunter Region, Lake Macquarie, Linda Burney, locks, maitland, measures, New South Wales, New South Wales Government, newcastle, perpetrator, South Wales Government, two thirds, Violence Domestic, Violent Partner

Now, ‘Australian Fritzl’ who raped daughter, fathered four kids emerges

September 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Melbourne, September 17 (ANI): Lisa Neville, Australian Community Services Minister, has come under fire after huge number of bungling in the child protection services emerged, including a sex horror case of a man accused of fathering four children with his daughter.

Neville is expected to be faced with calls to resign after revelations of failed attempts by Victoria’s Department of Human Services (DHS) to conduct proper background checks on a known sexual predator before letting a child into his care.

The accused is said to have caged his daughter as a virtual prisoner, raping her almost daily from when she was 11 years old, reports the Herald Sun.

All the four kids bore by the woman, who is now under the care of authorities in a safe house, had health problems when delivered in major hospitals in Melbourne. One of the kids died soon after birth.

Their birth certificates do not hold the name of their fathers, prompting alarms as to why questions were not asked at the time.

The man denied the allegations, but was charged after DNA tests allegedly proved he was the father of her children. He is due to appear in court in November.

Comparisons have been drawn between the case and that of Josef Fritzl, the Austrian man who held his daughter as a sex slave for 24 years and fathered seven children with her.

Minister Lisa Neville told ABC Radio: “I was extremely appalled to see the allegations.”

“They are only allegations and are before the courts at the moment and we need to be very careful about how much detail we go into,” Neville said.

“I became aware of this from the media today and I don’t know what, or if, (there has been) any involvement of the police, the department or other agencies … over the past 30 years.

“This will be a priority to look into,” she added. (ANI)

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