Child Protection

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (15:16): My question is to the Minister for Child Protection Reform. Given cabinet has now agreed to the Coroner's recommendation:

…that there be a mandatory restriction on student social workers and qualified social workers with less than 12 months experience having client contact without direct supervision by a senior social worker—

can the minister now guarantee that no students are working on cases of at-risk children, as occurred with Chloe Valentine?

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Justice Reform, Minister for Planning, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Child Protection Reform) (15:16): I thank the honourable member for his question. What I can guarantee is that I am advised by the department that they have issued the direction as I have indicated. If it turns out that, for some reason or another, that direction is not being observed by staff, that would be a matter for the department to enforce, and, I suppose at the extreme end of things, it would be a disciplinary matter. But, as far as I am advised, that direction has been conveyed to staff, and my expectation is that they will observe it.