Child protection boost ‘to cover Geelong’s shortfall’

Thirteen new child protection workers will arrive in Geelong to cover a shortfall in support services for vulnerable children and families, State Government has announced.
The extra help would include a specialist child protection practitioner to support family violence victims, the Government said.
The increase in staffing would also improve child-protection response times, said Families and Children Minister Jenny Mikakos.
The extra staff were part of a recruitment drive to hire more than 110 new child protection workers across the state, she said.
“We understand the need of vulnerable children and families in the Geelong area for help to prevent problems from escalating into crises and that is why we are boosting the child protection workforce in the region.
“There was a clear shortfall in the number of child protection workers in the Geelong area – we have taken action to address that shortage.”
The Government pledged $257 million in additional funding for child protection and family services.
Recruitment was under way for some positions, with more to follow soon, Ms Mikakos said.
“We understand the need of vulnerable children and families in the Geelong area for help to prevent problems from escalating into crises and that is why we are boosting the child protection workforce in the region.”