Stories from Berry Street

Thousands of children and young people across Australia can’t live safely at home. They need to be removed and placed into out-of-home care. The best models are typically kinship care and foster care.  However, there are serious pressures on these models.

We’re seeing a large decrease in the number of people willing to become foster carers. And the children and young people needing out-of-...

The Child Protection system is overburdened with more children being removed from their homes than ever. Vulnerable families and carers are struggling with the cost of living, housing instability and mental health issues. Early intervention is an area that if funded and resourced correctly, can help ease this burden and support families before they spiral out of control. 

To explore the real-world ben...

Family violence and abuse take shape in our minds, they’re tangible and we can understand these kinds of harm. However, when it comes to neglect, there are many contributing actions or inactions, that we may not have even considered. 

Host, Richelle Hunt explores the breadth of what constitutes neglect, with Annette Jackson, Executive Director of Statewide Services at Berry Street. She is responsible for m...

• At 30 June 2022, 45,400 children were in out-of-home care in Australia* 
• In Victoria in 2021-22 there were 11,828 children placed in at least one out-of-home care placement during the year.^
• Across Australia in 2021-22, there were 61,900 substantiated cases of child maltreatment impacting 45,500 children where an investigation concluded that a child had been, was being, or was at risk ...

One woman is murdered every 4 days on average in Australia, with countless women and children experiencing trauma from the impacts of current and past violence.*

This, along with a litany of other disturbing statistics, is what Berry Street is fighting to stamp out.

So, how is Berry Street addressing the escalating crisis? To find out, host Richelle Hunt talks to Mandy Gambino, Senior Manager ...

Education is key to breaking the cycle of intergenerational disadvantage, and every young person should be able to access education that meets their needs.

Across Australia, we are seeing an increase in school refusal and the number of children disengaged from mainstream education. 

Berry Street isn’t often thought of as an education provider. Still, as one of their core service offerings, the...

Children exposed to early trauma - such as abuse or family violence -  are 3.6 times more likely to have a mental health or substance use disorder, and are up to 7 times more likely to have both, compared to those without trauma.*

The impact on the formative years and development of these children can be profound, and it takes relationships with safe, predictable carers and ongoing therapy to help them recover. 

Berry Street provid...

Welcome to Stories from Berry Street.

For nearly 150 years Berry Street has dedicated itself to keeping children, young people and families safe, thriving and hopeful. Yet today, in Australia, rates of family violence, abuse and neglect are higher than ever before.

Join Richelle Hunt, ABC radio presenter, host of the Conversation Hour, and now host of the Stories from Berry Street Podcast, to find out why, and to explore the work B...

When adults caring for children don't follow through with their responsibilities, are abusive or exploit their positions of power, then child protection is empowered to investigate and intervene to protect the child legally when required.

The Victorian Child Protection Service is specifically targeted to support those children and young people at risk of harm or where families are unable to protect them.

But what child protection d...