Media coverage: Alarming drop-out rates in Dandenong

Mission Australia’s State Director for Victoria, Paul Bird, has told The Dandenong Leader that only one in three young people were either full-time students or employed in Greater Dandenong.

“We would experience a high number of people leaving schools, but have no figures because schools aren’t recording it,” Mr Bird said. “But I think it’s happening across Melbourne.”

He said more early intervention services for families, including access to financial, anger and stress management were needed before people hit crisis point.

“I think it’s easy to see schools in not helping, but in reality, if the person is not attending class or disrupting, there are limited options. I think they (schools) do a tough job with limited resources,” Mr Bird said.

In the same article a Youth Resource Officer with Springvale Police, Leading Sen-Constable Leanne Cooper, said children were dropping out of school as early as Year 7 without any follow-up.

She said many parents were happy to have their children at home, citing at least one 16-year-old girl who had not attended school since she was in Year 7.

Read the full article at The Dandenong Leader.