Child Protection

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen) (14:14): My question is to the Minister for Child Protection. Was—and if so why—a significant incident declared by the Department for Child Protection in relation to the death of a three-year-old girl in Whyalla?

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD (Reynell—Minister for Child Protection, Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:14): Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker.

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Minister, just take a seat. Members on my left, the minister has barely got to her feet and you are interjecting.

Ms Pratt: It started on the right, Mr Deputy Speaker.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Frome, you are warned for the first time.

The Hon. V.A. Tarzia interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: And the leader is warned for the second time.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: And the minister is also warned. Minister, you have the floor.

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD: Can I first of all say the death of any child is absolutely devastating and, as I have said in this place before, my thoughts and my love remain with the family and extended family and friendship groups of this child. As has been spoken about, this child was not in the care of the Department for Child Protection at the time of their death.

As has also previously been said publicly, this matter has been referred to the Coroner, and I am advised that the Department for Child Protection is yet to be formally notified of the cause of death in this case. The department of course, as I absolutely expect and require them to do, will continue to fulsomely brief me on this matter. Again, my thoughts are with the family.

To get to the part of the question about significant incidents, I can absolutely say, as I have said at length in this place before, I require the department—on coming to government I made my expectations very, very clear that I want to be notified about a range of significant incidents, and there are a range of matters that I am notified about, and rightly so. Because when we are notified of these matters that is the right thing as the minister but it also gives us the opportunity to deeply think about and inquire into what supports are around particular children and their families.

So, as well as being rightly notified about significant incidents—and again on a range of matters I receive those notifications—I also make it my business to find out what supports, what agencies, what sorts of meetings, etc., are happening around particular children and their families who may be the subject of particular reports to me. That is absolutely the right thing to do. As we have also spoken about in this place, sadly, one in three children in South Australia are notified to the child protection and family support system.

Sadly, as much as all of us would like to, we cannot stop everything that happens in every single home of those one in three children here in South Australia. But what we can do is work very, very hard, as the Premier has spoken about, to make sure at the earliest possible opportunity we are effectively intervening with children and their families to help them have the best possible opportunity to lead successful and safe lives and be enabled to thrive.

Also, as I have articulated many times in here and many times with the sector, with families and with carers at all sorts of events and public forums, I have been very open about the challenges that we face, the complex challenges families face, the complex challenges the system therefore faces and the range of measures that we are engaging to drive change. This change will take time but we are absolutely up for driving it.