Victoria’s new Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) will put social workers in 20 targeted schools to intervene early in the lives of children who are drifting away from education and healthy relationships with teachers, friends and family, and towards violence, crime and anti-social behaviour, the State’s Premier today announced.
Premier Jacinta Allan joined Deputy Premier and Minister for Education, Ben Carroll, at Sunshine College West Campus today to announce the $5.6 million investment for Early Intervention Officers in schools.
It comes as new data from Victoria’s Council on Bail, Rehabilitation and Accountability (COBRA) reveals 70% of Victoria’s worst alleged youth offenders were chronically absent from school before they turned to crime.
“Our plan helps us intervene early before children go down that path,” said the Premier.
“When children commit violent crimes, they should face serious consequences. But there are no easy solutions, and the best approach is to intervene early and stop crime before it starts.”
COBRA was established in 2024 to study the small cohort of children aged 12 to 17 who were alleged to have repeatedly committed the worst violent crimes. It brought together agencies to focus on this group of almost 70 children who were implicated in two or more serious offences, such as aggravated home invasion.
COBRA data shows the drift towards crime starts early among children with troubled lives – and disengagement from education is a significant factor pushing children further down that negative pathway:
- 70 per cent of the COBRA cohort of offenders were chronically absent from school;
- 67 per cent missed more than 30 days in the school year, and 52 per cent missed more than 60 days;
- More than half were suspended and three expelled at some point in their government sector schooling.
The cohort also showed poorer than average results at school. COBRA found that, following school disengagement, the next step along the pathway to violence is poor mental health and concerning behaviours in the schoolyard.
“COBRA took a microscope to the lives of Victoria’s worst alleged youth offenders and found that disengagement from school to be a big factor pushing children, particularly those with limited support at home, down a pathway towards violent crime,” said Attorney-General, Sonya Kilkenny.
“We’re putting Early Intervention Officers in schools to identify the children at risk of heading down the path of violence – and they’ll work with the whole school community to keep them on the path toward a positive life,” said Premier Allan.
“They are another weapon in our community’s arsenal against the organised crime gangs who are luring susceptible kids into violence – and hurting innocent victims in the process,” she said.
Early Intervention Officers is the second program announced for Victoria’s VRU – and the fifth major reform in Victoria’s Serious Consequences, Early Interventions plan to reduce violent youth crime by reinforcing the boundaries for children – with guidance to keep them on track, and serious consequences when they do wrong.
The Government says the Early Intervention Officers will support the hard work of teachers, principals, wellbeing coordinators and school nurses and:
- be embedded inside schools, not in an office in the city;
- identify the children who are most at risk of drifting towards anti-social education and violent crime;
- keep a constant eye on troubled children, supporting them through a case management approach;
- focus on improving their school attendance and sense of belonging, and their relationships with peers;
- be the ‘glue’ that connects schools, teachers, families, community services and police on problem issues;
- support schools in monitoring the status and movements of students who are suspended.
The Early Intervention Officers will start in 2026. The Government will use data and intelligence to identify the 20 targeted schools where they will work – and will consult with schools and community, said Minister Carroll.
“Education is everything for young people. The data says that staying involved in school and having positive peer relationships is a boundary for at-risk children that prevents them from crossing over into crime.”
“Schools already do an incredible job, but we now need Early Intervention Officers to provide dedicated case management for troubled kids – using proven strategies to keep them at school and on the right track,” he said.
