National Families Week

The Hon. R. SANDERSON (Adelaide—Minister for Child Protection) (15:15): I rise today to speak on National Families Week, which is celebrated from 15 to 21 May. National Families Week coincides with the United Nations International Day of Families on 15 May, which was yesterday. This day is observed by the United Nations to mark the importance that the international community places on families as the most fundamental units of society, as well as to show concern about their situations in many parts of the world.

All Australians, including community organisations, schools, councils, companies and individuals, are invited to participate in National Families Week each year. The enduring theme is 'Stronger families, stronger communities'. This theme continues to highlight the important role families play as the central building block of our communities and delivers the message that community wellbeing is enhanced by family wellbeing. The CEO of Families Australia, ambassador Dr Brian Babington, had this to say of families:

They take many forms, yet all are the same in needing nourishment. Whatever form they take, families are our most time-honoured settings for receiving, giving and nurturing love, understanding and support.

In the child protection sector, our state relies heavily on relatives, friends, professionals and volunteers to open their homes to create loving environments for children who need a safe place to live and be loved because they are no longer able to stay with their birth parents. I continue to be in awe of kinship carers, foster carers and family members who go that extra mile to care for our children, the children of South Australia.

They say it takes a village to raise a child, so I ask for your help. We know, from research, the importance of a stable and permanent placement for children. Generally, no matter the circumstances that children live in, they will always bond and prefer to be with their own birth parents. Where this is not possible, we know that other family members is the preferred option and, if that is not possible, that foster care, in-home care or family-based care is the next most desirable care.

Unfortunately, too many of our children and young people in care are in residential or commercial care in South Australia with eight-hour shift workers. The national average is 7 per cent, with South Australia languishing behind with 15 per cent of children in this least favourable type of care setting, sitting at almost 500 children. Unfortunately, I am told that some children may never be suitable for family-based care; however, these figures must be reduced as soon as possible. I will do everything that I can to see those figures drop with great urgency.

As recognised by the Nyland royal commission, more must be done to stem the flow of children coming into care. We must support parents who are struggling. We must help them develop their skills and give them every possibility of success. The Early Intervention Research Directorate was set up as a result of the royal commission. They recently completely a study of all the early intervention and prevention programs that have been provided by the state government or funded by state government across all the different segments of government, including child protection, education, health and any area that was involved.

Unfortunately, it was found from that research that only about 40 per cent of those programs were actually giving the results that were expected. I am waiting to get that final research on which programs are working and which ones are not, and whether they can be further developed and improved so that they can have better outcomes. We do have limited money, and it is important that we spend our money where we get results. We must stem the flow of children coming into care.

I am very keen for the directorate to do further studies and research on all programs because throughout my travels, particularly to regional areas, I have found that there are wonderful programs for early intervention and support for families in many country towns and regional areas and throughout metropolitan Adelaide. Some are funded straight from the non-government sector, some are federally funded, some might be council programs or be run directly through childcare centres. There are so many amazing programs, but I have noticed that it is very disjointed; it is not coordinated.

We need more families to help in foster care, and I encourage all members to consider foster care and also consider helping their own families.