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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-07-24 Daily Xml
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Child Protection

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Education and Child Development) (14:23): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: In relation to the heart-wrenching situation we are now facing, I want to update the house on action we have taken to date and what we will be doing in the coming days. A task force comprised of senior representatives from my department, Health and South Australia Police is meeting every morning to ensure a coordinated response and increased random checks of residential care units are being implemented.

As soon as we were cleared by SAPOL, we began the process of notifying parents and carers of this terrible news. These visits have taken place with police, health professionals and victim support officers. As I am sure members appreciate, this has been a harrowing process for all involved, but most particularly the victims and their families. I have now instructed the task force overseeing this matter to establish individual support plans for each identified family. This plan is to ensure that each family has the therapeutic, emotional and victim supports they need at this awful time.

A principal social worker and two principal psychologists have been appointed to work alongside colleagues from Child Protection Services and South Australia Police. This team will principally be responsible for coordinating the response strategy for the seven children, their carers and families. At the same time my department has notified parents at one Adelaide metropolitan school where the accused was a vacation and out-of-school-hours carer. However, it is important to reiterate that the police have advised that at this stage no victims from that school community have been identified.

In terms of support we have arranged social work and counselling officers onsite and available at the school for children, parents and staff. We have also established a hotline for any concerned members of the community to contact and seek information or support.

I have instructed my agency to engage an independent firm of psychologists to undertake the audits of employment records of Families SA residential care workers. I have also asked them to expedite the employment of an additional 180 workers for our residential care facilities with a focus on the employment of qualified early childhood workers.

In saying that, can I acknowledge the distress and disgust of the hundreds of wonderful staff who every day make every effort to keep children safe in South Australia, and I would like to place on record my great appreciation of the efforts of our South Australia Police. Sir, there is obviously more work that needs to be done, and I will continue to provide the opposition and this house with ongoing updates.

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