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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-06-01 Daily Xml
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Ministerial Statement

Post-Coronial Reviewer Appointment

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD (Reynell—Minister for Child Protection, Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:01): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD: On 21 April 2022, South Australia's Deputy Coroner handed down his findings into the tragic deaths of young Amber Rose Rigney and Korey Lee Mitchell, which occurred in May 2016. The deaths of these two children and the death of their mother were senseless and tragic, and my thoughts remain with their extended family, friends and community.

Upon the release of the Deputy Coroner's report, the government accepted all four recommendations, noting they reiterate the critical importance of building on current reform work to support an effective whole-of-government response to vulnerable children and their families. The first of the Deputy Coroner's recommendations was:

I recommend that the Premier of South Australia, the Minister for Child Protection and the Chief Executive of Child Protection cause a review of all coronial and other recommendations relating to child protection in the State of South Australia with a view to the implementation of the same.

I am pleased to advise that we have appointed Ms Kate Alexander as the external reviewer to undertake the review. Ms Alexander has a strong reputation across the sector and is someone who I am advised deeply understands the complexity of child protection systems, service delivery and evidence-based practice.

Ms Alexander is the Executive Director, Office of the Senior Practitioner for the New South Wales Department of Family and Community Services. She is responsible for the office's work in the review of child deaths, the design and implementation of the New South Wales Practice Framework, leading evidence-based practice and facilitating learning of frontline staff. Ms Alexander has vast experience as an expert witness in New South Wales coronial proceedings and royal commission hearings.

Ms Alexander has a Master of Social Work (Family Therapy) and has worked in the fields of child protection and sexual assault services for over 25 years. She is currently undertaking a PhD at the University of Melbourne, focused on decision-making in child protection, particularly where domestic violence is involved.

In 2018, Ms Alexander was awarded the New South Wales Public Service Medal for outstanding services to family and community. In 2010, she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship and travelled to the United Kingdom, Norway and the United States researching child protection systems with a focus on the skill set of the frontline workforce. This research led to the development of the New South Wales Practice First framework and the New South Wales Practice Standards.

Ms Alexander's appointment has been confirmed and the review will commence. It is expected to be completed by October 2022. We anticipate that recommendations from previous inquests, including those into the tragic deaths of Chloe Valentine and Ebony Napier, as well as recommendations from the Child Protection Systems Royal Commission, led by Commissioner Nyland, and the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse will be in scope. The Deputy Coroner also stated:

I recommend that a complete review be conducted in relation to all of the statutory obligations contained within the Child and Young People (Safety) Act 2017 so as to ensure that practices within the Department align with those statutory recommendations.

This activity will also be undertaken by Ms Alexander within her review. The Deputy Coroner recommended:

On completion of recommendations 1 and 2, all obligations under the Act are fully resourced to enable those duties and obligations to be carried out.

This work will be undertaken following Ms Alexander's review. Recommendation 4 relates to the involvement of police in child protection matters involving allegations of illicit drug use placing a child at risk. This matter is being examined by the Chief Executive of the Department for Child Protection in collaboration with SAPOL to ensure that the respective roles of both protective agencies are understood by frontline staff.

The review to be undertaken by Ms Alexander is another important step in our continuing work to improve the state's child protection sector and its systems, policies and practices. I look forward to updating the house on the outcomes of the review in due course and continuing work to enable South Australian children and young people to mentally, emotionally and physically thrive and be safe, loved and cared for.

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