Photo: meade.armymwr.com

As part of its $30 million Partnerships Addressing Disadvantage initiative, the Labor Government has selected Berry Street and the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA), as well as Melbourne City Mission (MCM), to further develop their innovative proposals, following a robust procurement process.

Berry Street and VACCA’s proposal aims to improve outcomes for primary school students by providing schools with culturally-informed training, courses and strategies to engage vulnerable students.

It will also provide intensive wrap-around support for vulnerable children and their families, with students that identify as Aboriginal expected to make up 25 per cent of the program.

MCM’s proposal would provide coordinated support services around individual needs within a flexible learning environment, to help young people with mental health conditions who are not engaged in education.

These services will help students complete Year 10 or higher at the Hester Hornbrook Academy – an independent school that caters for students with complex needs.

Both programs will explore new approaches to addressing disadvantage, including robust systems to measure outcomes, and are expected to be further developed during 2019.

The Labor Government’s Partnerships Addressing Disadvantage initiative brings together public, philanthropic, private and not-for-profit sectors to solve challenging social issues.

Partnerships will complement current Government programs and do not replace existing services.

For more information on Partnerships Addressing Disadvantage, visit dtf.vic.gov.au/funds-programs-and-policies