A hospital visit can be a turning point.
Labor is making sure it is.
Minister Kilkenny and Minister Shing today announced the Australian-first Hospital-Based Early Intervention pilot.
The program will support young people admitted to hospital following a violent incident, who may be at greater risk of further harm or retaliation.
Instead of being sent home after treatment they will be connected with specialist youth workers and mentors.
They will get practical support and connect young people with the services they need to safely move forward.
This can include housing, alcohol and other drug services, or pathways into work and study.
The program will operate at Victoria’s two busiest trauma hospitals – The Alfred and The Royal Children’s Hospital.
In London, similar programs helped hundreds of young people step away from crime.
The pilot is part of Labor’s work to stop crime before it happens through the Violence Reduction Unit.
The VRU backs evidence-based early intervention programs that improve community safety.
Jess Wilson’s Liberals want to cut the VRU – only Labor has new solutions to make life easier, safer and more affordable.
As stated by Minister for Violence Reduction Sonya Kilkenny
“When a young person arrives in hospital after a violent incident, we have a choice: treat the injury and hope it doesn’t happen again, or step in and help stop it happening again. This pilot chooses prevention.”
As stated by Minister for Health Harriet Shing
“Support like this will help young people to make better choices after a violent incident and is an important way to reduce the impact of violent crime.”
As stated by Violence Reduction Unit CEO Andrea Davidson
“This program steps in at a critical point to help break the cycle of violence by giving young people supports that help them see and live a life beyond the situation they’re currently in.”
