Berry Street

Established in 1877 as the Victorian Infant Asylum, Berry Street’s core activity has always been protecting children and strengthening families so they can provide better care for their children. Today Berry Street chooses to work with children, young people and families with the most challenging and complex needs. These children and young people have often suffered great distress and significant harm growing up in families where family violence, chronic neglect, substance abuse, mental illness and poverty have prevented them from having a good childhood. Our greatest challenges today are: • to help children and young people recover from the devastating impact of family violence, abuse and neglect • to help women keep themselves and their children safe from family violence • to help struggling mothers and fathers to be the parents they want to be • to contribute to, and advocate for, a fairer and more inclusive community We believe it is imperative that we act now, so that more children experience a good childhood that equips them to become healthy, functioning adults; and so that our community will become a better, safer place to live for all of us – with less crime, mental illness, substance abuse, violence and homelessness.