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Postvention support crucial in addressing rising suicide numbers
An increase in the number of people who took their own lives in 2014, as revealed in new data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, is evidence that further funding and support is needed to tackle the crisis. The ABS’ annual Causes of Death report reveals that 2,861 people died by intentional self-harm in…
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Bail Amendment Bill will help vulnerable young people
Jesuit Social Services congratulates the Victorian Government on the passing of the Bail Amendment Bill 2015, which will help address the alarming increase in the number of children arrested and held on remand in Victoria. “Most young offending is episodic, transitory and unlikely to constitute a risk to the safety and welfare of the community,”…
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CatholicCare, Jesuit Social Services and MacKillop Family Services have offered to lead a coordinated response to house and care for the 267 asylum seekers at risk of being returned to Nauru, following Melbourne Catholic Archbishop Denis Hart’s call for action from the Catholic community. “CatholicCare, MacKillop Family Services and Jesuit Social Services have previously collaborated…
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High Court decision a violation of human rights
Jesuit Social Services has strongly condemned the High Court’s ruling that more than 200 people seeking asylum, including a number of babies born in Australia, can be sent from the mainland to Nauru. “Australia’s punitive and inhumane policies surrounding people seeking asylum have long been condemned internationally, including at the UN Human Rights Council,” says…
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Focus on vulnerable people crucial to Victoria’s 10-year mental health plan
Jesuit Social Services welcomes the Victorian Government’s 10-year Mental Health Plan, and in particular its commitment to ensure all Victorians can achieve “good mental health… particularly those who are disadvantaged and vulnerable”. “We agree with the Victorian Government that the state’s current mental health system is struggling to adequately meet the needs of vulnerable Victorians,”…
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Changes to Bail Act welcome after children unintentionally snagged in tightening net
Jesuit Social Services welcomes changes to Bail introduced into the Victorian Parliament on Wednesday 25 November to address the alarming increase in vulnerable children being held in remand despite a 14 per cent drop in the number of young offenders. Jesuit Social Services acting CEO Sally Parnell says that previous changes to the Bail Act…
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Commitment needed to fix mental health mess
The redesigning of mental health services in Victoria by the previous state government has proven disastrous for vulnerable people and Jesuit Social Services welcomes the Andrews Government’s commitment to ‘work with service providers to fix the mess and ensure Victorians who most need help can get it’. Central to the recent changes was the introduction…
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Reducing reoffending the key to creating safer communities: Ombudsman report
Jesuit Social Services today welcomes findings of the Victorian Ombudsman’s Investigation into the rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners in Victoria, which recommends a whole-of-government approach focused on reducing reoffending. “We know that our prison system is overworked and overcrowded, and that more than half of the people in Victoria’s prisons have previously served a custodial…
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Overcrowding in prisons the backdrop to riots
Severe overcrowding in Victoria’s prisons has created the kind of pressure cooker conditions in which riots are more likely, and should be considered as a contributing factor in any investigation of the Ravenhall riot, according to Jesuit Social Services. “We know from a series of reports and our own experience working with people in prisons…
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Launch of Catholic Alliance for People Seeking Asylum (CAPSA)
The Catholic Alliance for People Seeking Asylum (CAPSA) has been officially launched at the start of World Refugee Week, which runs from June 14 to 20. Backed by leading Catholic peak organisations and convened by Jesuit Social Services, CAPSA aims to change hearts and minds across Australia in support of the abolition of harsh asylum…