Have A Heart Premier

Some of WA’s most vulnerable children and families have been left without support because of a Barnett Government decision to scrap the funding to the Responsible Parenting program.

The former Minister for Child Protection, Helen Morton, has said that Parent Support and Best Beginnings, the two programs operating under the banner of the Responsible Parenting have led to a “61 per cent drop in the growth rate of the number of children entering care”.

Best beginnings supports vulnerable mothers develop skills they have likely never seen modelled, to develop their own ability to change the cycle they may have been born into. The program works with mothers who may experience depression, financial stress and hardship, domestic violence or social isolation.

Parent Support is a program that helps parents of school aged children who are at risk due to offending or anti-social behaviour. Parent support program has proved its value to schools policing and communities all across Western Australia by helping parents change the cycle, keep their kids in schools and off the streets and above all make a demonstrable difference to the lives of at risk kids in our communities.

Cuts to these programs will hurt WA children, families and communities.

These critical programs have been assessed by Price Waterhouse Coopers who found that scrapping these services would lead to more children being removed from their families, higher rates of truancy and increase in children coming into contact with the police and criminal justice system. Their analysis for regional West Australia found Best Beginnings saved $7.22 in the long run for every dollar spent while Parent Support saved $3.85 for every dollar spent.

Let’s help these kids to get the best start possible, ask the Premier to have a heart by signing our petition.