A MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire decision to cut all in-house youth workers from its three youth hubs has left families unsettled amid concerns over communication and major service changes.
Staff are set to finish on 19 December at three youth hubs in Rosebud, Mornington and Hastings and will be replaced with external providers who will take over from term two next year.
The News understands a casual workforce will operate the Tounnin Wominjeka Southern Peninsula Youth Hub in Rosebud, along with the hubs in Hastings and Mornington, across the Christmas period and term one.
Councillors voted at their 2 September meeting to partner with a range of external youth providers to deliver “a more targeted and flexible mix of services for our young people”.
“This new model will provide more opportunity for them to connect with services at a time and place that suits them,” the shire said, noting “the changes are in response to an in-depth analysis of the way we deliver youth services, carried out as part of an ongoing review of all shire services”.
The three youth hubs will also “offer a base for existing providers and other services not currently available on the Mornington Peninsula”.
But families say they have received little notice about the overhaul.
“Families were not told this. Many only received a flyer sent home with their children about a feedback session, which did not disclose that the entire workforce was being removed,” a parent and behaviour support practitioner, who wished to remain anonymous, said.
“I attended that session on 20 November. Parents, carers, and children were present. At the outset, attendees were explicitly told the decision had already been made. Several young people spoke up, saying they weren’t sure they could keep attending without any of the workers who had supported them since primary school.”
According to the parent, who said many others were concerned, the session was used to “gather ideas that might help the council prepare tender documents and plan how a casual workforce would get through the transition. Nothing discussed could affect the decision”.
“This overhaul comes less than a year after the Rosebud hub opened, despite being promoted as a long-term investment in youth wellbeing. The hubs support young people aged ten to 26, many of whom rely on the workers as the only stable adults in their lives,” the parent said.
“There is growing concern about the tender model the council is moving to. Short-cycle, cost-driven tenders create churn, undercutting, and inconsistent oversight, the opposite of what relationship-based youth work requires.”
A letter seen by The News, which was sent from the council to Nepean MP Sam Groth on 24 November, stated “young people and their families, stakeholders and the broader community were informed of the council decision via targeted communications and media release the day after the council meeting (3 September)”.
“The shire has since delivered a series of in-person engagement sessions with young people, families, and key stakeholders to gather ideas and insights to help shape the new model,” the letter said.
“We also have a dedicated feedback email address (ysfeedback@mornpen.vic.gov.au) that will continue to be available throughout the transition period.”
But the parent said the community remained distressed, noting vulnerable young people “are about to lose the only consistent support they have, with two major disruptions ahead and no continuity of care”.
The shire said the review that informed the decision ran from November to June and included input from 421 young people, more than 5000 community members, schools, service providers, community groups and council staff, along with benchmarking against other councils.
The shire acknowledged the significance of the change, saying, “We are supporting our current Youth Services team members as they take the next steps in their careers,” and praised their “skill, passion, and commitment”.
A series of questions was put to the shire including how many youths would be affected, whether the staffing model would cost more or less than the current services, and direct communication with families.
In a statement, a shire spokesperson said, “the changes have been made following a review into how we improve the delivery of youth services across the Mornington Peninsula”.
“The review identified opportunities to improve service quality, cost-effectiveness, accessibility and overall community satisfaction,” the spokesperson said.
“This change is not about cost, it’s about continuous improvement, looking at how we can best meet current and future service demand, provide value for money to all ratepayers and operate in a financially sustainable way.
“We’ve kept families and young people who use the services fully informed every step of the way. This included eight in-person engagement sessions and a dedicated feedback email address.”
The council said it had also held forums for schools and other service providers, as well as informing the broader community via our website, a media release and social media channels.
“We are committed to ensuring a smooth transition to the new model for our young people,” the spokesperson said.
First published in the Mornington News – 2 December 2025