Hurstbridge Therapeutic Farm
The Hurstbridge Farm is a therapeutic residential care facility run by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing for children and young people aged 10-15 years, who have suffered complex developmental trauma, and are under the care of Child Protection.The children and young people have suffered significant abuse, neglect or disrupted attachment.
The children and young people live at the residential facility in Hurstbridge for approximately two years in a therapeutic milieu, informed chiefly by attachment and trauma theory. The program has the capacity to house eight young people and aims to assist them through a safe and consistent care environment and wide-ranging therapeutic interventions to overcome the impact of their traumatic experiences.
YarraMe School
The program was established in 2008 and operates as an on-site education program for the young people who reside at the Farm. Informed by the therapeutic approach and trauma and attachment theory; the program to re-engages students with education, providing a scaffolded, personalised learning in accordance with the Victorian Curriculum. The program provides a dynamic, experiential learning opportunities with a strong emphasis on Social and Emotional Learning. Students are provided positive behaviour supports to assist with developing their social, emotional and behaviour management skills, in order to facilitate re-engagement and transition to education or workplace pathways subsequent to their residential placement at the Farm.
Please note - Referrals to this program are only made by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, Child Protection Division.
