Not all heroes wear capes, some are child protection practitioners helping to save our young children and families at critical times.
Three young people in their 20s take time out of their busy lives to visit Stacey because they remember the work she did for them and their families when the trio were all under the age of 10.
Stacey Villinger has worked in Greater Dandenong as a team manager for the past 16 years with the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.
“Child protection is not just a job, it’s who I am.
“We work hard to support families and keep them together whenever it is safe and possible to do so.
“As a child protection practitioner, you’re constantly on the move.
“One minute you could be at court, the next sitting with a child doing a visit, the next at a parent’s house helping them with day-to-day tasks, catching up on how their supports are working for them.”
Stacey has worked with parents in circumstances where children had to be removed from their care, but now some of the same parents also drop by her office well after their cases are closed and their family reunified.
These are the highlights of her job every day.
“I believe in and care about the families I work with and help them believe in themselves – it’s incredibly rewarding.
“Building resilience was difficult when I first started in the job, but it comes with time.
“Sometimes it’s hard to accept that you can’t do everything and need to learn to up skill families and children as opposed to doing it all for them.”
One of her core memories is of a young girl who was reunified with her mum after five years in and out of out-of-home care.
Her mother had her quite young and was struggling with some mental health and substance issues.
Stacey was able to work closely with the child’s mother and grandmother to establish supports.
Their case is now closed, the mother keeps in touch with Stacey and her daughter is kicking goals at school, and thriving.
The child’s mother is also re-engaging in schooling and is studying to become a drug and alcohol counsellor.
“The best relationships are sometimes built during times of crisis.
“At times the job is hard – it’s stressful, it’s busy and it’s tiring. You will cry and you will laugh but most importantly you will be proud, proud of your colleagues, proud of the children you work with and proud of the parents you engage with.”
The job keeps her on the move but this is what she always wanted.
From the early age of 16 Stacey figured out she was made for this work, connecting her passion to work with families and children with her strong advocacy for others and making positive difference.
“There are amazing professional development opportunities – you can work in intake, investigations response, long-term case management. There’s always an opportunity to learn something new.”
Removal of a child from their parents’ care only occur under the most serious circumstances involving significant harm or imminent risk.
Court orders are based on evidence presented in applications and recommendations before the Children’s Court where it’s tested against the legislation.
