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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-09-15 Daily Xml
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FOSTER CARE

Ms FOX (Bright) (14:42): Can the Minister for Families and Communities advise the house what the government is doing to support South Australian foster carers and the state's alternative care system?

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Families and Communities, Minister for Housing, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability) (14:42): I thank the member for Bright for her question.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, on both sides!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: As I am sure members of this house would agree, foster caring is one of the most selfless and honourable community contributions a person can make. In my role as Minister for Families and Communities, I am privileged to meet many foster parents who have opened their hearts and their homes to children and young people who could not stay with their birth parents.

The impact that a safe and nurturing family can have on a child cannot be underestimated. It is in this type of environment that young people have the best chance to learn, grow, thrive and reach their full potential as adults. The Rann government recognises this and that this responsibility is not for foster parents alone. Foster parents need support, and providing a strong and safe alternative care system requires input from many people: government, social workers, parents, carers and the children themselves.

Our government is committed to a sustainable and collaborative alternative care sector that comprises a range of placement types, support and approaches to care. We work to ensure expertise across agencies and communities and that the voices of children, young people and carers are heard. We strive to build and maintain genuine partnerships with all those involved in the care of children. Over recent weeks, I have sought the views of people involved in alternative care on how we can further improve our system for the future.

A draft paper, 'Directions for alternative care in South Australia', was the basis for discussion and provided an opportunity for the department to receive valuable feedback from carers and organisations. The document comprises four directions for the future, including:

redesigning the system for more flexibility and integration;

creating more streamlined support services and consistent placement options;

building and applying a framework for quality assurance; and

integrating a standards based approach to improved continuity of care for young people.

Over recent weeks, many people and groups have had their say on how we can better support carers and the young people who come into our care. One of the innovations contained in the paper is that of other person guardianship arrangements. Our priority is always to return children to the care of their birth family, but the sad reality is this is not always safe or possible. When this is the case, we want them to be cared for in a nurturing, safe and stable family environment where they feel secure and have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Other person guardianship would provide carers who are willing to devote their lives to a child and who are able to manage the needs of children in their care with the parental authority to make decisions on behalf of those children. This would increase stability, security and continuity for carers, including in many instances grandparents, and most importantly for the children themselves.

Other person guardianship would enable a carer to apply through the Youth Court to have full guardianship of the child or young person and, in doing so, have greater say in their health, education and life choices. Children would still be encouraged to maintain ties with their birth family if it was safe to do so, and access arrangements would continue where appropriate.

Many wonderful carers build lifelong commitments to the children in their care. Without pre-empting the final paper, feedback from the consultation process indicates these changes would reduce difficulties encountered by carers and provide more stability for the children in their care and a real sense that they do belong. I look forward to updating the house on our directions for alternative care in South Australia.

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