Hannah Hammoud
Brimbank council has been recognised for their innovative efforts in promoting child safety at the 2023 LGPro Awards for Excellence.
The awards are an annual celebration of the work being undertaken and delivered by individuals and teams working in Local Government in Victoria.
Brimbank council was one of the partnership councils who took out the award for the Innovative Management Initiative category for the child safe e-learn module development project, sharing the stage with Glen Eira council and Casey council.
A group of 22 councils worked in partnership to develop and launch a child safeguarding e-learn module that was to be used by staff and volunteers in response to the Victorian Child Safe Standards that came into effect on July 1, 2022.
Brimbank council led a working group which converted the new Child Safe Standards subject material into an e-learning format that could be applied on multiple learning platforms and help equip staff with the tools and knowledge to help keep children safe from harm and abuse.
A nod to their efforts, there are now 34 councils across Victoria using the child safe e-learn module to conduct internal child safe training.
At the same awards, Brimbank also received a high commendation in the Service Delivery Initiative category for Brimbank Neighbourhood House Unit’s program, Hospitality Skills Training and Mentoring Program.
The Hospitality Skills Training and Mentoring program was developed as a practical response to the significant workforce and skills shortages being experienced in Brimbank as well as unemployment in the area.
Participants received training and certificates in barista, food handling and Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA). All participants successfully completed the course and expressed greater confidence about getting a job as a result of gaining work-ready skills as part of the course.
