A statewide trauma counselling service to support survivors of institutional child sexual abuse has been announced as part of the National Redress Scheme.
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The Andrews Labor Government announced $12.3 million in funding over four years to deliver the Restore: Victorian Redress Counselling Service program, which is accessible from Monday.
The funding will support the establishment and delivery of the program, led by the South Eastern Centre Against Sexual Assault, in response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse recommendations.
Ballarat CASA will be one of the major beneficiaries.
The Care Leavers Australasia Network, Open Place, Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency and Drummond Street will work alongside the centre to deliver the counselling service, with survivors able to choose the services they want to access.
Families and Children Minister Jenny Mikakos said the partnership was a way to stand side-by-side with survivors and their families.
“Each organisation in this program is an established, trusted organisation with significant experience delivering specialist services and they will be of great support to those who need it,” Ms Mikakos said.
Ballarat sexual abuse survivor Phil Nagle welcomed the announcement.
“Some of our survivors from Ballarat are already based in Melbourne, so hopefully they can use the services, but there are obviously a lot of survivors still in the Ballarat region that aren’t in the situation where they can travel,” he said.
“These things are just a starting point, so hopefully we can try get some momentum and build on from there.”
Mr Nagle said he applauded any funding that went towards helping survivors.
“Particularly mental health services,” he said.
“Because that is what has been lacking for a lot of people – where do you go? Who do you talk to?”
Ballarat Centre Against Sexual Assault has been one of the services stretched since the Royal Commission.
“They’ve been the linchpin for a lot of the survivors in Ballarat and they’ve certainly been heavily involved in our situation,” Mr Nagle said.
Ballarat CASA operational director Shireen Gunn said all 14 centres across the state would benefit as part of the five-organisation consortium.
“We’re really pleased to be able to receive that funding,” she said.
“It allows us to continue to support the cohort we are already servicing and cover a larger group of survivors.”
*CLARIFICATION: An earlier version of this story did not include Ballarat CASA. Their local services should obviate the need for survivors to travel for counselling.
