Junction Support Services staff joined residential care organisations across Gippsland to strengthen the skills and confidence of our carers supporting vulnerable young people.

Junction Support Services, Berry Street Victoria, Victorian Aboriginal Child and Community Agency (VACCA) and Allambi Care partnered with the MacKillop Institute to deliver the Power to Kids – Out of Home Care Professional Learning Program to residential care workers across Gippsland.

The initiative aims to equip carers with practical tools and evidence-based knowledge to prevent and respond to child sexual exploitation, harmful sexual behaviours and dating violence among young people in residential care.

“Children and young people living in residential care are some of the most vulnerable members of our community,” says Shilo Wilson, Junction’s Gippsland Care Services Regional Manager.

Listen: ABC Radio Gippsland – Power to Kids Program

“Although they make up only a small proportion of children in out-of-home care nationally, they are significantly over-represented in reports related to child sexual exploitation.”

The Power to Kids program was developed in response to recommendations from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and is informed by contemporary research and trauma-informed practice.

Through the partnership, residential carers in Gippsland will receive specialised training focused on:

• Recognising and responding to harmful sexual behaviours and child sexual exploitation
• Supporting young people to understand consent, respectful relationships, and sexual safety
• Identifying grooming behaviours and responding to disclosures
• Building confidence to have safe, age-appropriate conversations with young people about sexual health and online safety

The program is designed specifically for residential care settings and provides practical strategies that carers can immediately apply in their daily work with young people.

“By bringing together residential care providers in Gippsland, the collaboration demonstrates a shared commitment to improving safety, strengthening practice, and ensuring young people in care receive the support they need to thrive,” says Junction COO Rhianna Coleiro.

MacKillop Institute facilitated the training session at Morwell on Thursday, 19 March 2026.

The training will contribute to building a stronger, more informed residential care workforce across Gippsland and help embed cultures of safety within residential homes.