Our Family Services and Programs
All of these programs seek to promote strong connection to Aboriginal culture, promotion of Aboriginal child rearing; child and family safety and wellbeing such as assisting children meet their developmental milestones and address family issues such as family violence, parental attachment and other issues.
Placement and Support Programs
All these programs provide culturally sensitive placements; promote strong connection to Aboriginal culture and community and in accordance with the child/young person’s best interest’s family contact and except for permanent care involvement in family reunification and therapeutically informed approaches.
Link Up Victoria Programs
This program assists Aboriginal people who were adopted, placed in care or forcibly removed to trace and to be reunited with their families. The program assists with record searching, family reunions, provides counseling and cultural healing group programs.
Lakidjeka ACSASS
This program provides an Indigenous perspective on risk and decision making to Child Protection about the safety and well being of Aboriginal children and young people who come to their attention. Whilst all major decisions rest with Child Protection the program advocates that a child/young person’s best interests include strong connection to Aboriginal culture, community and family. If Child Protection removes a child from their family, ACSASS seeks to ensure compliance with the Aboriginal Child Placement Principle.
Youth Homeless
This program provides the following:
KURNAI Youth Homeless Service: providing support, advise, referrals and assertive outreach and case management to young people 15-25 years old who are homeless or at risk of being homeless
Leaving Care: providing support, advise, referrals and assertive outreach and case management to young people leaving care including support for young people in transition housing.
Capacity Building Programs
As well as providing direct assistance to members of the Aboriginal community, VACCA also implements the following internal programs:
Research, Policy and Cultural and Program Development: proving high level policy advice, undertaking research projects and the development of cultural resources and undertaking program development and reviews.
Community Education: provision of information and advocacy in relation to enhancing outcomes for all members of the Aboriginal community with a particular focus on the promotion of culture as a resilient factor in the lives on Aboriginal community members.
Learning and Development: providing training and learning opportunities for staff including the promotion of the staff wellbeing policy as well as the provision of professional development for non Aboriginal services to promote their cultural competence.
Corporate Services: providing human resource, financial management and other corporate support functions.