Outcomes for Victoria's Children

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Outcomes for Victoria's Children

Victorian Children’s Council

A permanent Victorian Children's Council (VCC) has been established to provide high level policy advice to the Premier and the Minister for Children.

The Victorian Children's Council is made up of recognised experts in children's policies and services. They have been selected for their expertise and not as representatives of interest groups. The Child Safety Commissioner, Bernie Geary, is a member ex officio.

The Victorian Children's Council's mandate is to advise government on all matters relating to children in Victoria. The VCC’s role is to be forward looking, acting as an active advisor to help the Government resolve some longer-term issues and build community support for new solutions to ensure better access to services.

The VCC is accessible to the community and key stakeholders and ensures Government can respond to the needs of families and children, particularly those who are vulnerable or at risk.

The VCC is actively involved in the statewide planning process, both as a source of expertise and in facilitating stakeholder and public input around long-term strategic issues, including research priorities.

The VCC will also provide advice on the future directions for reform and the implementation of the Government's Response to the PCAC report.

The Office for Planning, Strategy and Coordination provides secretariat support to the VCC. The VCC meets every two months or as required. The Victorian Children's Council can be contacted on the following email: VCC@edumail.vic.gov.au

(See photo on right: The Hon Maxine Morand, Minister for Children and Early Childhood Development, and the Hon Lisa Neville, Minister for Community Services, welcome the new Chair of the VCC, Ms Sherryl Garbutt; at the 13 August 2008 meeting.)

Members

  • Chair: Ms Sherryl Garbutt, former Victorian Minister for Children, brings an extensive knowledge of children’s issues and public policy making.
  • Deputy Chair: Professor Frank Oberklaid is a consultant paediatrician at the University of Melbourne, and the Royal Melbourne and Royal Children's Hospitals. Professor Oberklaid is also Director of the Centre for Community Child Health, Royal Children's Hospital, from where he has led a considerable amount of important research and published extensively. Professor Oberklaid was a member of the Premier's Children's Advisory Committee.
  • Member: Professor Gay Edgecombe is Professor, Community Child Health Nursing at RMIT. Professor Edgecombe has over thirty-five years of experience in the field of child and maternal health, working as a practitioner, academic, and researcher both in Australia and overseas.
  • Member: Dr Donald Edgar is a self-employed consultant on social research and policy; early childhood; and work, family and community. He has been a teacher, an academic and past Director of the Australian Institute of Family Studies. Dr Edgar was a member of the Premier's Children's Advisory Committee.
  • Member: Dr Maria Apostolopoulos is a member of the Disability Advisory Council of Victoria. Maria is a consultant pharmacist and is the proprietor of a community pharmacy. Maria has a PhD (Psychiatry) and is employed as a specialist lecturer at Deakin University. She was previously the Vice-President of the committee of management of the Kalparrin Early Childhood Intervention Centre.
  • Member: Ms Muriel Bamblett is the Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency and previously worked at Telstra as a consultant on Aboriginal and Islander issues. Ms Bamblett is the Chair of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Child and Family Support.
  • Member: Ms Susan Harper has extensive experience in early childhood development, and expert knowledge of the sector at a national and international level. Ms Harper is the National President of the Organisation Mondiale pour l'Education Prescolaire - OMEP Australia. Ms Harper was a member and co-author of the Kirby Review of Preschool Services in Victoria and a member of the Premier's Children's Advisory Committee.
  • Member: Mr Robert Spence is the Chief Executive Officer of the Municipal Association of Victoria. Mr Spence was the CEO of the City of Brimbank and the City of Footscray. Prior to that, he held various positions in the Victorian public service over a period of thirty years.
  • Member: Mr David Murray is the Executive Officer of Youth Substance Abuse Service. David was the most recent Chair of the former Ministerial Advisory Committee on Vulnerable Children and Families (MAC) and has extensive experience working with children and families. He has more than twenty-five years experience delivering and managing child and family welfare services.
  • Member: Dr Ray Cleary AM, CEO, Anglicare Victoria.  A former member of the former Ministerial Advisory Committee on Vulnerable Children and Families, Dr Cleary brings extensive leadership qualities to the Council from the family welfare sector.
  • Member: Sandi De Wolf, CEO, Berry Street Victoria – a former Ministerial Advisory Committee on Vulnerable Children and Families member who has occupied the position of Berry Street CEO for over 12 years.
  • Member: David Pugh, CEO, St Lukes, Bendigo, and current President of the Victorian Council of Social Service.  David brings a regional perspective to the Council and an understanding of mental health and community development issues.
  • Ex-officio Member: Mr Bernie Geary is the Child Safety Commissioner. Mr Geary was recently the CEO of the Jesuit Social Services and has an outstanding record in serving the community and protecting the interests of vulnerable children over the past 30 years. Mr Geary was awarded an Order of Australia medal in 2000 for his services to young people.
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