Mark Harrison leads a small but mighty team in Victoria, supporting services across Southern Melbourne and the Gippsland region. Since starting in 2019, the team has been on a meaningful journey to embed the Allambi Care model within a sector that has traditionally relied heavily on agency staffing - often making it harder for young people to experience stability and build strong, trusted relationships.
At the heart of the team’s work is a commitment to creating consistent, relationship-based care. By building stable and dedicated care teams, they’re helping ensure young people feel supported, connected, and set up for better outcomes. It’s been encouraging to see strong progress across metropolitan Melbourne, while in Gippsland, the team continues to focus on innovative ways to reduce reliance on agency staff.
Foster Care recruitment is an exciting area of growth. In 2025, Victoria welcomed its very first foster carers - an important milestone worth celebrating. With two new team members joining the Recruitment and Assessment team, there’s real momentum building. At the same time, the team recognises that growing this program will take ongoing effort, meaningful community engagement, and time spent building trust.
There have also been positive changes within the Residential Care team, with a recent restructure bringing the introduction of House Manager roles, aligned with the NSW model. This is strengthening leadership on the ground and helping to build a more responsive and supported workforce.
Working across regional areas continues to call for flexibility and creativity. Recruiting and retaining youth workers in towns like Sale can be challenging. In response, the team continues to explore new ways of working - whether through flexible staffing approaches, innovative workforce models, or deeper connections within local communities to raise awareness and attract new talent.
Overall, the Victorian team brings a thoughtful, solutions-focused approach to their work. They’ve made great progress and continue to look ahead with a clear sense of purpose - always focused on improving outcomes and making a positive, lasting difference in the lives of young people.