Kindergarten provider BCYF to merge with Bethany Community Support

Barwon Child, Youth & Family (BCYF) and Bethany Community Support will merge into a new single entity, with the finalised merger expected to be in place no later than June 2023. 

The decision is said to have been independently reached by the Boards of each organisation based on consultation and feedback from service users, staff and stakeholders, as well as due diligence work undertaken.

In a joint statement BCYF Board Chair Mr David McDonald and Bethany Board Chair Mr Chris Bowly said they believe that a new, larger organisation will provide tangible long-term benefits for service users, staff and the communities each organisation serves.

“We have seen an increasing demand for the services we provide and the needs of the people we support are becoming more complex,” the statement continued. “The decision to merge our two organisations was made based on the belief and evidence that we can achieve even stronger outcomes for our community as one single organisation.”

Both BCYF and Bethany will continue to operate as normal and each organisation reminded the community that “we are committed to being here to support you,” and remain committed to the many “vital and enduring collaborations with our stakeholders” with whom they will continue to work closely as the transition takes place. 

Information about BCYF is available here. For information about Bethany, see here. It is expected that the merger of the two agencies will be finalised no later than 30 June 2023.