Media response - sleep program funding

Published on 01 July 2025

Enquiry from The Age

Questions about Victorian Government reduction of funding to Monash Council's sleep and settling program.

• How concerned is the council about this state budget decision? Can you explain in real terms what the effects could be for families? 
• How shocked were you, given the funding withdrawal occurred with six weeks notice? What is the "three-month notice period required under the service agreement" referred to in the Mayor's letter? 
• What actions is the council having to take in response to the decision? Aside from covering the funding shortfall in the interim, is it looking at ways it may have to cut costs in response? How would the service be reduced and how many staff would be cut? 
• When was the Dorrington child and Family Hub in Mount Waverley completed? With how much council funding and state funding? How do you feel about this budget decision in light of this project? 
• How much was the MCH service expanded following the Department of Health's strong encouragement to recruit more staff in October 2024? 

Response

We were stunned by the withdrawal of more than $100,000 from our sleep and settling program given the Victorian Government’s recent investment in the facility housing this service.

We can’t understand why they would commit that level of funding and then remove support of a program central to the new hub’s support for families.

It is clearly a service both needed and valued by our community. We don’t want to reduce the service and will continue to advocate to the Victorian Government to rectify this.

If funding is not reinstated then we will have to review how we deliver the program.

Other background information provided

• Dorrington Child and Family Hub in Mount Waverley was a $7m investment, with $4.5m from the Victorian Government and $2.4m from Council.
• Construction was completed in January this year.
• It incorporates space to deliver group sessions and dedicated sleep rooms to support our day stay program.
• Last financial year, over 800 families sought advice from our sleep and settling service, with close to 300 families receiving outreach support and another 55 on the waitlist for support in the future.
• The program is funded through two distinct streams: group sessions and outreach. Monash receives its largest allocation under the group sessions stream.
• These group sessions – which are affected by the funding cuts - are the entry point to our services for families, offering education and practical strategies that help identify families who may benefit from the more intensive programs.
• This approach ensures more intensive services, such as day stay and outreach, are directed to families with greater needs.
• Without this funding, families may miss out on early intervention, increasing demand for more intensive services and leading to longer waiting lists.
• Council already contributes more than 65% of the total cost to deliver the MCH service with Victorian Government funding covering the remaining costs.
• In 2024/25 Monash Council’s contribution to the delivery of MCH services was more than $1.6M.
• In 2018–2019, the sleep and settling program operated one day per week, supporting 2–3 clients per day through a council-funded day-stay model.
• In 2019–2020, the service expanded to nine days per fortnight, introducing group sessions and enhancing day-stay services in response to funding provided by the Victorian Government.
• In 2025, the program was further strengthened to offer comprehensive care, encompassing not only sleep and settling support but also parent and infant mental health and infant feeding services.

Issued: 1 July

To: The Age

Quoting: Mayor Cr Paul Klisaris