Child Protection

Ms LUETHEN (King) (14:33): My question is to the Minister for Child Protection. Can the minister update the house on how the Marshall Liberal government is better supporting children and young people in residential care and facilitating the skills and training and development of staff?

The SPEAKER: Point of order.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Point of order: unfortunately that question contained debate.

The SPEAKER: Not to the extent that I am going to rule it out.

The Hon. R. SANDERSON (Adelaide—Minister for Child Protection) (14:33): I thank the member for King for her ongoing interest in child protection in my portfolio. Whilst this government has a strong focus on increasing family-based care through both—

Ms Stinson interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Badcoe!

The Hon. R. SANDERSON: —kinship care and foster care, we still have over 500 children in non-family based care. For some of these children, we are hopeful of reunification with their families and for some we are hopeful of family-based placements, but for some residential care is the most appropriate form of care for these children. For these children, it's important to endeavour to provide the best care possible. My department and I have been researching, visiting and consulting on therapeutic residential care models interstate and throughout the world.

I am pleased to announce to the house that we have selected the Sanctuary model of therapeutic residential care. Children and young people living in residential care will benefit from this new therapeutic model of care, which is trauma informed. It will transform the existing non-family based care model in line with the Marshall Liberal government's strategy for children and young people: 'Every effort for every child'.

We are investing more than $600,000 to roll out the Sanctuary model across all Department for Child Protection residential care homes. Extensive training and development will be provided as part of the rollout over the next three years by the MacKillop Family Services. The Sanctuary model respects the relationships operational staff have with children and young people and enhances the staff experience as well as the experience of children. It is an evidence-based model that has proven results interstate and will aim to provide better outcomes for children and young people in care.

The Sanctuary model also maintains a strong focus on organisational culture, encouraging a commitment across the department to understand and support the principles of the model. To achieve this, we will be asking staff from different areas of the department to become champions of the model and undertake further training. We selected the Sanctuary model, as it responds in a holistic manner to the needs of children and young people who have a history of trauma.

It best responds to the needs of residential care staff by supporting them to deliver consistent care that is therapeutic, culturally appropriate and responsive to the complex needs of children and young people who have experienced trauma. It respects the relationship operational staff have with children and young people and is designed to enhance the staff experience as well as the experience of the children and young people. It also acknowledges the unique experiences of Aboriginal people and supports culturally responsive and culturally safe practice and care.

Maintaining a skilled and robust workforce is fundamental to promoting a high-quality residential care system for children and young people, and the training program provided through this model will enable staff to build the capacity of children and young people to form positive relationships with others. I thank all of our staff, especially those working on the front line in residential care, who go above and beyond every day to care for and support our most vulnerable children and young people.

The implementation of the Sanctuary model of therapeutic residential care is all part of the Marshall Liberal government's whole-of-government approach to supporting vulnerable families, protecting children in care and investing in their futures. We are always looking for more foster carers, so I encourage those who may have thought about foster care before to take the steps to find out more. To find out more you can go to fostercare.sa.gov.au or call 1300 2 FOSTER.