Funding boost supports young domestic violence survivors

Children and young people in Perth’s southern suburbs will receive increased support to help them heal from their experiences with family and domestic violence (FDV), thanks to a new partnership between Anglicare WA and the Alcoa Foundation.

Young Hearts provides free critical counselling services for young people and their families to help break the cycle of FDV.

“While services to tackle the problem of domestic violence are increasing, there remains a critical gap in support for children who experience FDV,” Anglicare CEO Mark Glasson said.

As of 2022, 16% of Australians had, as a child, witnessed FDV perpetrated on a parent, according to data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. FDV has a devastating impact on children and young people’s physical and mental wellbeing, development and education, and remains the leading cause of youth homelessness in Australia.

“This is a very specific type of trauma that requires a specialised early-intervention response,” Mr Glasson said. “That’s why Young Hearts is such a vital service for the often-overlooked victim-survivors of FDV.”

Mr Glasson said Young Hearts, which operates in the Peel, Perth Metropolitan and Great Southern regions of Western Australia, received no government funding.

“In the last financial year, the Young Hearts services in Kwinana, Rockingham and Mandurah supported 170 children and young people,” he said. “In total, the service held 567 counselling sessions with clients and their carers across the 12 months.

“This is a critical service with demand increasing significantly over the past few years. Yet Young Hearts relies entirely on the continued support and generosity of philanthropic partners like Alcoa Foundation.”

Alcoa Foundation President Caroline Rossignol said the Foundation was proud to contribute more than $750,000 to Young Hearts over the next three years.

“Our funding aims to support more children and young people affected by family and domestic violence in some of the areas where Alcoa operates,” Ms Rossignol said.

“We are immensely proud of our continued partnership with Anglicare WA and the positive impact it has on the local community, supporting some of the region’s most vulnerable people.”

To launch the Young Hearts partnership, Alcoa representatives visited the Anglicare WA Family & Relationship Centre in Mandurah on 12 November to meet workers and learn more about the program.

For more information on Young Hearts, see https://www.anglicarewa.org.au/get-help/family-and-domestic-violence/young-hearts-child-counselling-service.