Vic to increase child protection workers

By Jacqueline Le
Australian
May 20, 2015

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/vic-recruits-more-child-protection-workers/story-fn3dxiwe-1227361295353

THE Victorian government is increasing the number of child protection workers it employs amid revelations of child sexual abuse from the royal commission in Ballarat.

MINISTER for Families and Children Jenny Mikakos says she is "absolutely horrified" by some of the evidence before the inquiry into abuse by clergy and other members of the Catholic Church in the Ballarat diocese.

Their stories highlight the work that still needs to be done to protect vulnerable children, Ms Mikakos told reporters on Wednesday. "We need to learn from the royal commission to ensure we can put in measures to prevent those types of situations occurring." Victoria will hire an extra 111 child protection workers as part of a system-wide reform of child protection services, she said. The increase in frontline staff is a part of $283 million in funding over four years for improving services for vulnerable families. The reforms address recommendations in a 2013 Betrayal of Trust report into the handling of child abuse by religious and other institutions. "This is all about prevention and making sure our various institutions prevent abuse and keep children as safe as possible," Ms Mikakos said.