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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-06-26 Daily Xml
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OTHER PERSON GUARDIANSHIP PROGRAM

The Hon. M.J. WRIGHT (Lee) (16:02): My question is to the Minister for Education and Child Development. Can the minister inform the house about what investments are being made to ensure the long-term care of children and young people placed under long-term guardianship orders?

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI (Hartley—Minister for Education and Child Development) (16:03): I thank the member for Lee for this important question. As everyone in this place well knows, this government has placed a priority on the care and protection of our children. We have invested significant resources in the system over the past decade, tripling the budget and ensuring we have a number of programs and initiatives that seek to produce the best possible result for our state's most vulnerable children and young people. The Other Person Guardianship Program plays an important role in that respect.

Once children are assessed by child protection professionals and the Youth Court of South Australia has endorsed that a child or young person be placed on a long-term order, a stable and nurturing placement is the best option. In South Australia the majority of children under a guardianship order reside with people like foster carers, relative carers or kinship carers in family-based care. I was joined last week in estimates committee by the member for Morialta in acknowledging these people who do an outstanding job caring for our most vulnerable children.

Whilst foster, relative and kinship carers provide for the day-to-day care and wellbeing of children or young people who are placed into their care, these carers do have limited authority to make decisions that many parents take for granted. An alternative guardianship order can be made when a carer shows lifelong commitment to the child or young person, has capabilities to manage the needs of the child in their care and has sufficient personal and professional support and resources to care for the child in the long term.

By transferring legal guardianship to a long-term carer, we support the carer to make everyday decisions much like any other parent, and that is incredibly important. What we know is that these types of orders facilitate the development of a secure attachment between carer and young person, which is built on trust and love, providing the very best chance for these children to reach their potential and have a happy and loving life.

This government recognises that ensuring a child or young person on a long-term guardianship order is in a stable, loving, family-based placement is the best result we can get. We are now working actively to transfer guardianship to a carer where careful assessment indicates that it would be in the child's best interests to do so. I am pleased to report that, to date, we have successfully placed 56 children and young people under the guardianship of another person and will continue to progress this program in the interests of these children.

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