June 2007

Program helps vulnerable children

Take Two, the specialist program for children and young people who have experienced chronic abuse and neglect, is helping vulnerable children move forward with their lives.

Launching the program’s evaluation report at La Trobe University, Community Services Minister Gavin Jennings said he was encouraged by the positive effects the intensive therapeutic service was having to help children recover from the trauma of abuse.

‘Services such as Take Two are instrumental in helping children heal from very traumatised childhoods.

‘Ninety-four per cent of children in Take Two are engaging in therapy and moving forward with their lives.

‘This is an excellent result for any form of therapy and the report shows the success of Take Two’s approach in helping difficult-to-engage children since it launched in 2004.’

Mr Jennings said Take Two had also been successful in improving responses to Aboriginal children and their families.

‘The report shows rollout of a culturally-sensitive assessment tool which is used with Aboriginal children and young people referred to the program is successful.

‘This has helped ensure the therapy provided is also culturally-appropriate.’

Mr Jennings said Take Two was a key example of the direction of the Government’s child protection reform agenda.

‘The government’s new Children, Youth and Families Act puts the child’s best interest at the heart of practice.

‘The Act supports this by providing for measurably better outcomes for children and young people in the child protection and out-of-home care service system.

‘It supports a more integrated system of child and family services, focusing on prevention and early intervention, stability and cultural connectedness for children and their families.’

The Take Two program is run by Berry Street, the Austin Hospital Child Adolescent and Mental Health Service, La Trobe University School of Health Sciences and Mindful, also known as the Centre for Training and Research in Developmental Health.