Bringing together the experience and expertise of two highly skilled specialist workforces will offer exciting opportunities for both agencies
By Julius Ewudo, ASEAN Region Representative
The Boards of Directors of child and family services provider, Berry Street, and Victorian disability service provider, Yooralla, have announced their intention to merge to deliver greater impact and expanded services to their communities.
The decision to merge is a historic coming together of two of Victoria’s longest-serving, experienced and most respected providers of social services.
Bringing together the experience and expertise of two highly skilled specialist workforces will offer exciting opportunities for both agencies, including scope to integrate services where there are significant overlaps and to develop enhanced services to benefit current clients and service users.
It will also provide unique capacity to develop innovative services for people with disability and those experiencing violence, trauma and abuse.
Chair of Berry Street, Dr Joanna Flynn AM, said: “Across Berry Street, we are seeing an increase in the number of children and young people entering care with disability, trauma and mental health issues. Yooralla’s human rights focused, social support model will allow us to develop essential supports that can be integrated with our child and family focused services.”
Chair of Yooralla, Jennifer Williams AM, said the decision to merge was made after extensive due diligence and thorough consideration. “It became very clear that merging our two organisations will provide enormous benefits for Yooralla service users and clients with disability, particularly through access to Berry Street’s excellent early intervention therapeutic supports and wraparound family services.”
Berry Street Interim CEO Jenny McNaughton said: “Berry Street and Yooralla have much in common that will make us stronger together. Our values are aligned. We share a strong focus on children, families and early intervention. We have both endured for over a century by carefully evolving to meet changing community needs.”
Yooralla Chief Executive, Terry Symonds said: “The National Disability Insurance Scheme is a once-in-a-generation reform that has made the lives of many people with disability better. Ten years into the scheme, we also know that it cannot be the only source of support for people with disability. The best ways to support people with disability will require new ways of thinking for the future. By delivering diverse services with Berry Street, we can better meet the future needs of all our communities and continue doing so for another hundred years.”
Yooralla Chief Executive, Terry Symonds, will be appointed as CEO of the merged organisation. Berry Street Board Chair, Dr Joanna Flynn AM, will chair the merged entity Board.
Implementation of the merger will commence in early December once final conditions for the merger are met, including a special resolution to be voted on by Yooralla members.
Importantly, the merged entity will operate to ensure that existing services for both Berry Street and Yooralla service users, clients and participants will continue, and without disruption.
Each organisation will retain their names and brands, and they will continue direct engagement with their respective funders, donors, supporters and volunteers, who are integral to their past and vital to the future.
