Foster and Kinship Care

Ms CLANCY (Elder) (15:17): My question is to the Minister for Child Protection. How is the government listening to carers and creating opportunities for them to inform change within the child protection system in South Australia?

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD (Reynell—Minister for Child Protection, Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (15:17): I very much thank the member for her question and for her ongoing interest in how we can best support carers. I acknowledge the crucial role that carers play within the child protection system, and I am sure that all members in this place recognise and appreciate the pivotal role of carers and the profound complexities that are involved in providing care to a child.

In recognising those complexities and in honouring the generous ways in which carers nurture children, opening their homes and hearts to them, our government will listen to their experience and their knowledge. Listening to carers and working with them provides us with the ability to strengthen foundations that lead to the establishment of positive placements for children, to increase carer engagement and to ensure genuine partnership between government and carers. Strengthening this important partnership enables carers to contribute to the shaping of changes within the child protection system.

Following the receipt of the report of the Independent Inquiry into Foster and Kinship Care and the recommendations, I immediately engaged with carers and other stakeholders to create opportunities to discuss the report and its recommendations.

Since becoming minister, and indeed when shadow minister, I have held a wide range of round tables and forums and joined sessions across the state with children and young people, with foster and kinship carers, with carer organisations, support providers, government agencies, workers and other stakeholders to hear their feedback on a range of matters important to them. I have greatly appreciated the time taken from all who have engaged in these conversations to date. One of the key recommendations from Dr Arney's inquiry was the need for strong and structured consultations with carers, with Dr Arney recommending:

That a formal body, such as a Carer Council, be created and suitably resourced to provide advice directly to the South Australian Government through the Minister for Child Protection.

I will continue to meet with those involved across the child protection system and, in direct response to Dr Arney's recommendations, our government has engaged Connecting Foster and Kinship Carers SA in the establishment and ongoing support of the Carer Council.

The Carer Council will comprise at least 12 carers of children currently in care, including carers from both metropolitan and regional areas and Aboriginal carers. It will meet at least three times a year. The Carer Council will discuss key issues faced by carers in order to assist, guide and inform the work that is being done as part of the broader reform and engagement processes happening across the child protection system.

Of course, the Carer Council sits alongside the recently established Child Protection Expert Group that has been developed to challenge orthodoxy and examine current practice and new ideas, to contend with the complex challenges faced by families and our state's child protection system and, alongside a number of other groups, to focus on amplifying voices and helping to make improvements.

The Carer Council will help contribute to the long-term vision for the system and help ensure that the voices of carers are central to reform. The establishment of this council clearly demonstrates our government's commitment to amplifying the voices of all stakeholders as we strive to meet the needs of vulnerable children and young people in South Australia.