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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-09-12 Daily Xml
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Child Protection

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen) (14:58): My question is to the Minister for Child Protection. Has the minister taken any action to address the causes of significant incidents at the Department for Child Protection since the death of a three-year-old child in Whyalla and, if so, what action?

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD (Reynell—Minister for Child Protection, Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:58): Two things. The first thing is that I think I have spoken at length about confidentiality being required around a particular family. That is the right thing for the family and for the other reasons that I have set out. In terms of answering the question in a broader way—about what we do through our $450 million investment into the child protection and family support system to improve the lives of children, young people and their families, to help keep them safer, to help them be able to thrive in a caring, loving and nurturing environment—there are many things I can talk about.

I will start by talking about some of the measures we have put in place to better provide a voice on issues of concern to children and young people who are in care. As those opposite would know, in 2019 from memory—it may have been 2020—there had been a trial of the Child and Young Person's Visitor scheme. I will have to check the date, but it was in the term of the Marshall Liberal government that the guardian at that time publicly said that she would not continue to be the Child and Young Person's Visitor because there was no funding.

Since coming to government, we have provided $1.87 million for the visitor function in our first budget, but in the most recent budget we also provided a further $4.6 million of funding to the functions of the guardian. So that is one measure that is incredibly important.

Another more recent measure is that we have funded the establishment—really important establishment—of a peak body for Aboriginal children and young people so that their voices can be heard about matters that they grapple with and that arise across the system. We have funded Wakwakurna Kanyini $3.2 million to be established. More recently, a wonderful outstanding woman, Ashum Owen, has been appointed as the CEO. That peak body was developed through the leadership of SNAICC, ACCHOs and other Aboriginal community leaders to come up with a model of a peak body that they say will work for them. That is another really important measure.

Also, we have invested another $13.4 million into family group conferencing and we are growing that amount. We are focusing a number of our resources there because that program has a 92 per cent—

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Minister, resume your seat, please. There is a point of order.

Mr TEAGUE: Under standing order 98(a), the minister is required to answer the substance of the question and not debate the matter. The question is a straightforward one about response to significant incidents since the death of the three-year-old child at Whyalla.

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order please! My understanding—

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order please! That means on my right as well. My understanding of the minister's answer was she was providing context in terms of what they are doing to address those issues. That is my understanding. Minister, you have 30 seconds.

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD: As I was saying, the family group conferencing has a success rate of between and 90 and 92 per cent, which is extraordinary. The great thing about putting resources into family group conferencing is that we are putting resource into families and families are being empowered to make decisions about their children and young people. We are harnessing the power across extended family. We are listening to their voices. We are enabling them to decide how they can help to keep their children safe, loved and cared for.

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