Victorian Government increases funding for Bereavement Services

With the release of the Strengthening palliative care: Policy and strategic directions 2011-2015, the Victorian Government has announced additional funding of $350,000 to expand the Statewide Specialist Bereavement Service in the 2011-12 financial year. This funding comprises $250,000 to employ an additional 2.5EFT bereavement counsellors in rural Victoria and $100,000 to support the ACGB's accommodation expenses. Both of these funding amounts are recurrent and will be indexed each year.

This will enable ACGB to provide an additional 2,640 bereavement counselling hours for 405 new clients in 2011-12.

From 2012-13 the new funding to the Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement will increase to $500,000, with an additional $150,000 funding for the employment of 1.5EFT new bereavement counsellors in metropolitan Melbourne. From 2012-13 the Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement will provide an additional 4,512 bereavement counselling hours each year to an additional 693 clients.

The Statewide Specialist Bereavement Service is operated by the Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement and provides specialist bereavement counselling; builds the capacity of generalist health and community services; and facilitates leadership, quality and health promotion for the bereavement sector.