A new family reunification service to support children and young people to live safely in the care of their families begins today.
Unify will work intensively with families who have been separated by the child protection system due to safety concerns, and will support parents to make life changes to meet their children’s needs.
Funded by the Department for Child Protection, Unify has a focus on intergenerational trauma as a key precursor of child abuse and neglect.
Promoting family-led decision-making, Unify is a general and specialist reunification service that works with families where:
- Children are subject to short-term care and protection arrangements with a case plan to support parents to permanently and safely resume their care;
- Children or young people are subject to long-term care and protection orders and have not experienced permanency in care, leading to a case plan to explore safe care with a family member.
Under Unify, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal families receive up to 10 hours intensive support each week, over a flexible intervention up to one year in duration.
Families who are reunified during intervention will be provided step-down support to nurture familial stability and resilience and prevent future contact with the child protection system.
Unify continues the excellent work of the previous Reunification and Adolescent Reunification teams, based on the unique model of service developed in these programs.
