Kim Waters
“OVERWHELMING” demand is forcing Geelong support services to turn away children seeking help with domestic violence, according to a provider.
Glastonbury Child and Family Services chief executive Gabrielle Nagle said the service was unable to cope with the amount of children desperate for help.
“We’ve had to introduce waiting list strategies and absolutely we’ve had to turn some people away because sometimes if a family is in a crisis waiting isn’t an option,” Ms Nagle said.
Glastonbury aimed to intervene in family violence cases “as early as possible” but the rising demand had combined with a shortfall in resources to leave some people without support, she said.
“Appropriate resources would enable us to work with families in crisis and also assist them a lot earlier than we’re able to at the moment.”
Domestic Violence Victoria statistics for the Geelong region revealed that agencies were turning away two in three children seeking access to support programs.
The organisation cited an “incapacity to meet demands”.
The statistics showed one in four children had witnessed violence against a parent.
Domestic Violence Victoria chief executive officer Fiona McCormack said the Geelong region’s support services were “pushed to the limit”.
She called on political parties to address the problem in the lead-up to next weekend’s Victorian election.
“We need to cut waiting times to no more than one month,” Ms McCormack said.
“This could be achieved by doubling current expenditure for children’s family violence counselling and funding and establishing 20 new positions across the state.”
Attorney-General Rob Hulls defended State Government’s record on family violence.
Labor had invested $176 million in programs targeting violence against women since 2005, he said.
The investment included Family Violence Safety Notices allowing police to order perpetrators to leave family homes.
Last week the Independent reported that Geelong Police had recorded a spike in reports of family violence, with an increase of 50 per cent in October.
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