Thursday, 28 July 2016
MEMBER for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall has welcomed the launch this week of the NSW Government’s first-ever legislated plan to help children and young people thrive.
Mr Marshall said the three-year Strategic Plan for Children and Young People would help ensure children and young people across the region had the opportunities to thrive, get the services they needed and have their voices heard.
“Our young people are our future,” he said.
“With this first-ever legislated strategic plan we now have a roadmap in place which outlines what the government is doing, and more importantly, what it will do for children and young people across the Northern Tablelands into the future
“As well as greater connectivity, the safety, welfare and wellbeing of children and young people will also be a focus with the launch of this plan.”
Key commitments under the Plan include:
- Investing an additional $900,000 in extra resources for the Office of the New South Wales Advocate to further undertake his statutory responsibilities on behalf of children and young people across the State;
- $700,000 to develop a website to connect children and young people to local services and opportunities to further integrate into their local communities;
- Develop a Quality Assessors program to train children and young people to review services and provide feedback directly to government; and
- Further embedding the participation of children and young people in New South Wales Government consultationsThe 2016/17 State Budget aligns with key components of the Plan including investing $190 million over four years to reform the children protection and out-of-home care system, investing $100 million over two years to implement the Smart, Skilled and Hired initiative, and investing $40 million over four years to better address youth homelessness. As part of developing the Strategic Plan, the Office of the Advocate of Children and Young People consulted with more than 4,000 children and young people right across the State.For more information about the plan, please visit the website at www.acyp.nsw.gov.au
MEDIA: Adam Marshall 0429 440 054 or 02 6772 5552