VCOSS is disappointed by the continued lack of investment in services and supports for young people. There was no announcement of new investment in the generalist youth services, and in fact there was a 7.89% real effective decrease in funding for youth affairs.
The only new announcement concerning young people was the Premier’s announcement of the $17.7 million Respect strategy to promote community respect, which in part aims to address alcohol-related violence among young people. This program focuses on strengthening young people’s community participation through the allocation of $9.3 million from the Respect funding for a volunteer strategy for community organisations.
While VCOSS does not deny the importance of community participation, the link between volunteering and addressing alcohol related violence in young people is unclear. VCOSS supports the call of the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria (YACVic) that this investment would be better spent in strengthening youth services and we urge the Victorian Government to work with YACVic and their members in the development and implementation of the Respect strategy.
While VCOSS welcomes the significant investment in the 2009-10 State Budget in child protection and family services reforms ($159.8 million over four years) and the Early in life: improving mental health outcomes for children, young people and their families initiative ($21.3 million over four years), VCOSS is concerned at the lack of investment in generalist youth services and support for vulnerable young people. VCOSS and YACVic, through the Who’s Carrying the Can report, have been advocating for significant investment in generalist youth services and the youth services system for many years and, despite a KPMG report and the Vulnerable Youth Framework discussion paper, there has been minimal investment or service development.
The Victorian Government committed to the development of the Vulnerable Youth Framework in 2008 and the release of the final framework is anticipated in the second half of 2009. VCOSS is disappointed that there was no announcement of funding to support the implementation of the Vulnerable Youth Framework and are concerned at what the Framework will detail and achieve if it is constrained by existing resourcing levels.
Urgent investment in well thought out services and supports for young people is required. Currently large gaps exist in the youth services system, resulting in many young people not be able to access supports until they reach crisis point. If the Victorian Government does not invest in youth services, vulnerable young people will continue to miss out on the supports and services that they so desperately require.