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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-12-01 Daily Xml
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Child and Young Person's Visitor Scheme

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (14:39): My question is again to the Minister for Child Protection. Would specifically funding the Guardian for Children and Young People to undertake the Community Visitor role for children in care keep children in care safer and better supported if they have been sexually abused? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Ms HILDYARD: In her annual report 2020-21, recently tabled in this house, the Guardian for Children and Young People states that she 'currently has limited capacity to provide the level of individual advocacy for children who have been sexually abused' and also that 'there is [very] clearly a need for this important work to be facilitated'.

The Hon. R. SANDERSON (Adelaide—Minister for Child Protection) (14:40): We have discussed the visitor program in this house several times before. However, the Children and Young Person's Visitor Scheme was a pilot program that was funded for two years. The pilot program was scheduled to finish on 30 June 2019, but funding was extended to 30 September 2019. The findings of the report and external evaluation were considered by DCP, and will not be continuing with this at this time.

The government has to determine where its money is spent. Some of the things we are doing, additional measures that are being taken to support children and young people in care, include working with our non-government partners to ensure that cyber safety policies are in place, reviewing and updating the policies and procedures relating to the use of mobile phones and social media in residential care homes and working across government to support the design and implementation of Australia's first national strategy to prevent child sexual abuse, which will focus on preventing child sexual abuse in all settings, including institutions, within families and online.

We are funding and hiring the Lead Psychiatric Director, Prue McEvoy, who works directly with our most complex children and young people to help them through their traumatic experiences. We have introduced complex case review meetings, which bring together people from the child's care team and other relevant parties to discuss a shared plan, taking into account the child's trauma history and individual needs. We have also funded and are implementing the Sanctuary model of residential care, which provides a trauma-informed approach to practice that seeks to create safe environments for children and young people as well as staff.

We are funding a new pilot program, Breathing Space, that is specifically targeted at helping vulnerable children and young girls in care who are at risk of becoming or who are pregnant, funding the Guardian for Children and Young People, Penny Wright, and her office almost $2 million per annum. In her role as the guardian, she can continue to visit all residential care facilities in the state and advocate for children and young people in care. We are also establishing a therapeutic care support team with 10 new allied health professionals.

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