National Volunteer Week

Ms LUETHEN (King) (14:48): My question is—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER Order!

Ms LUETHEN: —for the Minister for Child Protection. Will the minister please update the house on the importance of National Volunteer Week and, in particular, the important contribution volunteers are making to the welfare of children in South Australia?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The minister will be heard in silence. Minister.

Ms Stinson interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Badcoe is warned.

The Hon. R. SANDERSON (Adelaide—Minister for Child Protection) (14:49): Thank you to the member for King, who I know has a great interest in this area. I would like to thank all the volunteers in all different areas.

National Volunteer Week was established in 1989 to bring our attention to the generous contributions that our volunteers make. This year, the week was held from 21 to 27 May, and the theme was 'Give a little. Change a lot'. In South Australia alone we recognise over 900,000 volunteers involved in more than 2,000 organisations. Volunteering SA&NT, which is the peak body for volunteers, report a saving to the state of around $5 billion a year.

Volunteers are a vital part of all aspects of our community, and we need to foster an environment that encourages the next generation of volunteers to get involved, particularly the young and the new retirees. I would like to particularly acknowledge the valuable contribution that volunteers make in the child protection sector.

In my portfolio of child protection, I am reminded daily of the efforts made by volunteers who support children in care. Last week, across the state the Department for Child Protection hosted various events to thank the volunteers who give their time. This included morning teas, lunches, cruises on the Port and Murray rivers and gifts that were just some of the ways the volunteers were acknowledged for the support and care they provide our vulnerable children at risk.

The current volunteer program within the department is only a few years old but has grown rapidly. There is no doubt that the heroes in my portfolio are the carers. When someone chooses to become a foster carer, kinship carer or a much-needed respite carer, they are committing to a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week, around-the-clock responsibility to meet the needs of the children we have in care. We currently have approximately 1,300 foster and kinship carers in South Australia. I am very thankful for the wonderful work they do to keep our children safe and loved.

Volunteers in the Department for Child Protection can help in a number of ways, and there is a website where people can have a look and join up if they are interested. They can transport children, driving a child to family visits, to respite care, to school or to appointments. There is individual or group support, helping with homework or activities like craft, music or outdoor activities. There is our life story work, helping with scrapbooking to promote a young person's memory pages. There are recreational activities, helping with fun days or picnics with a child, a group of young people or their families, and skills development, teaching and sharing particular skills such as literacy, music, cooking or shopping for clothes and food.

Volunteers have also spoken of their sense of reward and some of the rewards that come from a number of avenues, including personal satisfaction and growth; helping the community, especially vulnerable children; the social contact with a wide range of community members; expanding their own skills and experience; and imparting their knowledge. For some, volunteering leads to other career options, either within child protection or utilising the skills they have learnt in other services in the community.

I highly recommend volunteering as a great pathway to employment and encourage all young people to consider how they can gain experience while also giving back to their community. There have been many examples of workers who have started as volunteers and then moved on to work with NGOs in the child protection area.

We are always looking to recruit more volunteers to work with children and young people. To find out more, you can go to www.childprotection.sa.gov.au/volunteering. The Marshall Liberal government has shown its commitment to all its dedicated volunteers across the state by committing to abolishing all fees payable by volunteers for screening by DCSI. Similarly, the government has committed to extending the WeDo app, which provides a database and rewards program for volunteers and links them with volunteering opportunities.