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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-11-23 Daily Xml
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FAMILIES SA

The Hon. A. BRESSINGTON (14:50): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the minister representing the Minister for Education and Child Development questions about Families SA's involvement with the parents charged with murdering their four-month-old baby.

Leave granted.

The Hon. A. BRESSINGTON: Just under a week ago South Australians were shocked to learn of the death of a four-month-old baby girl whose 17-year-old mother and 19-year-old father had apparently concealed her death for over a week before reporting it to Families SA. A post mortem examination of the yet unnamed baby revealed that the child sustained serious injuries and, given the murder charge faced by the parents, clearly police believe these were inflicted by them.

While little is known of the parents, particularly given the suppression of the mother's details due to her age, it has been reported that both are from New South Wales and a previous child of the father had been removed by their child protection authority and currently is under the guardianship of the minister and is placed in foster care.

In the week that has passed, my office has been informed that Families SA has had significant contact with the parents, particularly in the first two months of the baby's life. I have also been informed that this followed a mandatory report by staff at Women's and Children's Hospital following the baby being presented with a broken arm at less than one month of age. Families SA themselves have conceded that the family was known to them. This is self-evident given the parents reported their baby's death to Families SA and not the police.

However, it is unclear what interventions Families SA put in place nor why they withdrew from actively monitoring the family and had minimal contact after the first two months of the baby's life. It is also unclear whether Families SA used information sharing protocols to learn of the child protection concerns New South Wales had with the father. My questions to the minister are:

1. Will the minister confirm that Families SA had contact with the parents prior to the parents reporting the baby's death to them?

2. Will the minister confirm that the child had been subject to numerous mandatory reports, including following the child sustaining a broken arm in the first month of its life?

3. Prior to the baby's death, did Families SA know of the previous child's removal from the father?

4. What interventions did Families SA put in place to address the safety concerns they clearly should have had?

5. Was the family considered for the Strong Families Safe Babies program, described as intensive intervention with families where infants are at high risk?

6. Is it a fact that after less than two months' contact Families SA closed the case?

7. Why did Families SA withdraw or significantly reduce its involvement?

8. When is Families SA going to review its policies and procedures to ensure that battered babies are their main priority?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (14:54): I thank the honourable member for her very important question and I will undertake to take that question to the minister in the other place and request a response. But I should say that I understand this situation is currently either before the courts or the Coroner or both and, as such, I would not hesitate to say that neither the minister nor I in a similar situation would make any comment until those proceedings had been finalised.

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