Berry Street Web Docs Berry Street Public Policy and Advocacy Agenda | Page 6
Key Areas of Advocacy and Action
• Therapeutic programs and support for children and young people who have experienced family
violence including support for boys to develop into strong healthy men and fathers who reject the
use of violence
• Development of a long term public health approach to prevention of violence in all its forms and in
all places
• Expanded public and supported housing options for women, children and families who have been
affected by family violence
• Implementation of comprehensive sexual health and relationships education programs for children,
young people and parents through schools and community based programs
• Family violence, family law and child protection reforms to ensure that the rights of women to raise
their children are not compromised by family violence or child protection interventions
Fairness and Equity for Families
Family poverty, unemployment and homelessness have been with us for a long time. By 1877, just 26
years after the colony of Victoria was formed, poverty, disease and homelessness had taken hold in
a young colony. Women and children were particularly vulnerable. Concerned about the high rates of
child mortality, the plight of unwanted babies and unsupported mothers a group of women formed
Berry Street as an Infant Asylum and Babies’ Home. Babies and mothers were given shelter and
support. From the outset Berry Street chose not to judge these women but to stand up for them, for
their children and for families - to make Victoria a better place for women, children and families. Berry
Street took a stand against the tide of growing inequality and the prevailing ethos of treating single
mothers with scorn and children as people without rights. Our work over many generations tells us
that where there are children in poverty there are families in poverty and that where there are families
in poverty there are impoverished communities. Communities that lack the resources to provide
children and young people with opportunities to develop and thrive experience higher levels of child
abuse, child neglect and family violence.
In 1877 poverty, unemployment, violence, substance abuse and homelessness were the prevailing
threats to children’s well being. Whilst today the broad picture for Victoria’s children is vastly
improved, these same issues threaten the well being of many children. Every Victorian family needs
access to education and health services, a living income and safe and secure housing in order to raise
their children well. We know that children who are born to vulnerable young mothers, who grow up
with violence, whose parents are poorly educated, unemployed, homeless or have a mental illness or
substance addiction, are at much higher risk of living in these circumstances as adults and evidencebased interventions are needed in breaking this cycle. We know that these issues wear away not just
at the fabric of families but at community cohesion creating entrenched intergenerational pockets
of disadvantage. This is why Berry Street pursues fairness and equity for families and communities.
Key Areas of Advocacy and Action
• Timely access to universal family support and parenting assistance programs for vulnerable families
throughout Victoria
• Enhanced levels of support for families, children and young people in economically depressed
urban, regional and rural areas to the essential services that underpin child development and family
well-being
• Priority access to housing assistance and mental health services for vulnerable families with
children, including families at risk of child protection intervention
• Evidence informed welfare reforms that improve financial support to families and the financial
management capacity of families without compulsory income management
Berry Street Central Office 1 Salisbury St Richmond VIC 3121 T 1800 237 7978
E [email protected] www.berrystreet.org.au