The Family Support Innovation Projects in Victoria: A progress report from Ballarat Family Services

Ballarat Family Services is the service that has evolved in Ballarat, Victoria as a result of a Department of Human Services initiative, the Family Support Innovation Projects. More than two years after the commencement of the program, Ballarat Family Services is leading a major re-orientation of the service system for families who have borderline involvement with the statutory Child Protection system. This re-orientation involves all parts of the service system, including the nature of the collaborative relationships between non-government agencies and the statutory Child Protection Agency. It has also led to Ballarat Family Services revisiting the nature and purpose of the practice of family support work. This paper will give an overview of the development of Ballarat Family Services and go on to outline the lessons learned in practice, placing them in the context of current theory and research.