Michael Perusco - Letter to the Editor: I commend Beyond Blue and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute

As published in the Herald Sun on 30 May 2019:

I commend Beyond Blue and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute for their project to help identify and enhance support services for at-risk families, launched by Julia Gillard this week.

The link between early childhood trauma and mental health is clear. Sadly, at Berry Street, we see it first-hand.

Our ‘Take Two’ program is a specialist statewide mental health service for children and families impacted by child abuse and neglect. We work intensively with the distressed child or young person, and their carers, families, and teachers, to help them understand their pain and to learn to trust again.

In the absence of effective interventions that address the experiences of trauma and mental illness, we see the cycle of intergenerational disadvantage, trauma, and engagement with child protection. This is unacceptable.

There is a clear need for well-targeted, evidence-informed early intervention services that keep families together safely.

Michael Perusco

CEO, Berry Street