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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-09-05 Daily Xml
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CHILD PROTECTION

Mr GARDNER (Morialta) (14:49): My question is again to the Minister for Education and Child Development with responsibility for child protection. I refer the minister to the case of the 11-year-old boy who was reported as having run away from residential facilities of Families SA on 30 occasions, having been supplied with drugs and sexually assaulted on at least one of those occasions. Why has Families SA rejected calls by the boy's mother that he should be enrolled in a specialised intervention program?

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI (Hartley—Minister for Education and Child Development) (14:50): I am very happy to answer this question but I have just been advised that the staff member to whom the member for Morialta referred to earlier is no longer in the employment of the department.

Ms Chapman: Why wasn't she prosecuted?

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: In relation to the matter that the member just referred to, there has been some suggestion that a camp operating in the Northern Territory would be of benefit at this point in time for this particular case. I have asked the department to look into this and any other similar program that can assist. However, I am advised that there are some serious concerns about the program. Other states and territories do not utilise the program due to the lack of adequate supervision to ensure the safety of young people and the lack of training that mentors undertake to deal with traumatised young people. However, at this stage, we are working with the family and with the young person to ensure additional supports and services are provided to them at this time.

My priority and the priority of my department is to ensure that we have child protection professionals providing appropriate counselling supports and services to this young person and to his family. We are dealing with a child who has very challenging behaviours and we are certainly doing our very best to support this child at this particular moment in time.

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