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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-08-25 Daily Xml
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Child and Young Person's Visitor Scheme

Mr MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Leader of the Opposition) (14:06): My question is to the Minister for Child Protection. How can the statutory role of the Child and Young Person's Visitor be performed without any funding?

The Hon. R. SANDERSON (Adelaide—Minister for Child Protection) (14:06): I inform the house that the Child and Young Person’s Visitor Scheme was a two-year pilot program, as recommended in the Nyland royal commission. Recommendation 137 was to legislate for the development of a community visitor scheme, which we have. We have done that.

There was a two-year pilot program started in 2017 under the former government. The pilot program ended, and at this stage we are not reinstating it. However, what I can say is that this government is putting our money into early intervention and prevention. Like everybody, you have a budget and you determine what is the most important use. Firstly, under the guardian’s—

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The minister will be heard in silence.

The Hon. R. SANDERSON: If you're interested in hearing the answer, it is part of the guardian's responsibilities and her powers to monitor. The guardian—as every guardian before her—has the ability to visit every single residential care facility, as previous guardians have, and to advocate individually for children and to see systemic issues and deal with those.

She still can do that, like she always did, like all the guardians did before her. She has resigned from one position, which was a visitor scheme. The act states that the minister may instigate—'may'. It's not a 'must'; it's a 'may', and at this point, as you know, it is not being continued.

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Continue, minister.

The Hon. R. SANDERSON: In this year's budget, what we have funded is $18.2 million over seven years for the Newpin reunification program, $11.3 million over six years for the Resilient Families program (an intensive family support service), $3.8 million over 2½ years for the Treatment Foster Care Oregon program and $3.7 million over four years for family group conferencing.

These are programs that never existed under the former government. These are programs to prevent children coming into care. These are programs to reunify and to strengthen families. Doing the same thing that the former government did and expecting a different answer would be the definition of stupidity. We are focusing on early intervention and prevention. As I said, the guardian can visit residential care facilities, and she will continue to do so.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Before I call the next member, the member for West Torrens and the deputy leader are called to order.

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