Overview
- Premier Jacinta Allan and Education Minister Ben Carroll announced $5.6 million for 20 Early Intervention Officers to work in government schools from next year.
- The roles sit within a $27 million Violence Reduction Unit modeled on Glasgow’s public‑health approach to violence prevention.
- Officials say the officers will support students showing early signs of disengagement rather than youths already before the courts.
- Government-cited COBRA analysis found about 70% of a targeted group of serious youth offenders were chronically absent from school, guiding where officers will be deployed, with Melbourne’s west flagged as a focus.
- Ministers point to evidence claims such as halved absenteeism and Glasgow’s 60% violence reduction, while experts caution the initiative will require careful implementation and multi‑agency support.