Australian Childhood Foundation urges Victorian Government – Schoolyard prevention programs cannot bandage over punitive sentencing

Real safety comes from systemic, family‑level support and trauma recovery.

Thursday 20 November, 2025 – Australian Childhood Foundation acknowledges the Government’s announcement of a new Violence Reduction Unit and school‑based initiatives to support at‑risk students, modelled on Scotland’s approach. These measures highlight the urgent need to invest in prevention.

However, children’s and community safety cannot be secured by pairing punitive sentencing with piecemeal prevention. Most children in youth justice have lived through abuse, family violence, neglect or exploitation. These are failures of adults and systems, not of children. Despite offending behaviour, they remain children with unmet developmental needs and experiences of victimisation.

Janise Mitchell, CEO of the Australian Childhood Foundation, said: “Children’s safety can’t be achieved by harsher sentences alongside small prevention programs. Real safety comes when families are supported, communities are strong, and children have the chance to heal from trauma.”

The Foundation condemns the actions of the Victorian Government with the introduction of “Adult Time for Violent Crime” reforms. Increasingly, governments across the country are implementing youth justice policy that contravenes evidence of what works, in the interests of expediency.

Real safety comes when we build consistent, systemic support that ensures children’s rights to safety, protection, and environments where their developmental needs are met. It begins in families, is strengthened in communities, and is sustained in schools. When children are victims of abuse, violence, and exploitation, they need access to therapeutic services to assist them to heal and make sense of their experiences. This gives them the chance to heal, grow, and thrive long before they reach crisis.

At Australian Childhood Foundation, we see every day what works: prevention and trauma‑informed therapeutic care. We see thousands of children and young people who have experienced abuse and trauma through our services, and help them recover and rebuild meaningful lives.

Children deserve hope, not harsher sentences. The Foundation calls on policymakers to reconsider these reforms and commit to approaches that recognise the unique developmental needs of children.

Media enquiries:

Gina Dafalia
PR and Communications
Phone: 0447558195
Email: gdafalia@childhood.org.au