❓ The Minister for Child Protection provides an update on the McGowan government's investment in child protection services, including funding for training programs and early intervention initiatives, highlighting their commitment to protecting vulnerable children and supporting the workforce.
AnsweredQoN 81Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CHILD PROTECTION
SERVICES
81. Dr K. STRATTON to the Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to keep Western Australian children safe. Can
the minister update the house on the McGowan
Labor government's significant investment in child protection services ,
including improved support for those who work with vulnerable children and
young people?
SERVICES
81. Dr K. STRATTON to the Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to keep Western Australian children safe. Can
the minister update the house on the McGowan
Labor government's significant investment in child protection services ,
including improved support for those who work with vulnerable children and
young people?
AnswerView source ↗
I
thank the member for Nedlands for her question and for her longstanding
commitment to child safety. It is absolutely wonderful to have
professionals in the field amongst us. Nedlands is very lucky to have the
member serving in this Parliament.
The
McGowan government is progressing significant work to achieve better outcomes
for at-risk children and young people in WA. Amongst our initiatives in
2022, our government provided $2.3 million to support the establishment of the
WA branch of the Australian Centre for Child Protection, known as ACCP-WA.
Importantly, the centre conducts research
and professional training to safeguard children through better child protection
policy and practice . Recently, the
government provided a further $100 000 to ACCP-WA for specialised child trauma
training programs . This funding will support 450 scholarship
opportunities in 2023 for Western Australians working with children and young
people with complex trauma. These amazing workers include child protection practitioners
and other professionals who work with children and young people impacted by
trauma, such as our police and healthcare workers. A total of 290 scholarships
are currently open for applicants across two programs—first, a specially
designed course on understanding childhood trauma; and, second, the updated and
specially designed course on assessing childhood trauma. These training
programs help WA practitioners better understand, respond, assess and,
importantly, treat children and young people affected by abuse and
abuse-related trauma.
Further scholarships will become
available throughout the rest of the year. The scholarships reflect the McGowan
government's commitment to implementing the recommendations of the
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, especially
the need for a high-quality workforce to provide evidence-based therapeutic
services for abuse-related trauma. No child should ever have to suffer trauma
or abuse, but that is what our child
protection workforce face and respond to in their work every single day. These
important opportunities for professional development will help them to
better support and respond to the needs of children and young people.
Since 2017, we have also invested
over $136 million into early intervention in child protection, supporting
families to keep their children safely at home or reunifying families when it
is safe to do so. That includes $23.9 million in the last budget to implement
and expand the early intervention of family support services. Our investment in
WA's child protection system and our
support for its dedicated workers demonstrates the McGowan government's
ongoing commitment to protecting vulnerable children and keeping
families safe. Our child protection system in WA is underpinned by an amazing
high-quality dedicated workforce. It has been my privilege to meet with them in
Mirrabooka, in Joondalup—for a short while but I will be back there
longer—Geraldton, Derby, Broome and Fitzroy
Crossing. I look forward to continuing to advocate for them and make
announcements because the McGowan government knows the important work
that they do and the specialised skills that they need to work with our most
vulnerable children.
thank the member for Nedlands for her question and for her longstanding
commitment to child safety. It is absolutely wonderful to have
professionals in the field amongst us. Nedlands is very lucky to have the
member serving in this Parliament.
The
McGowan government is progressing significant work to achieve better outcomes
for at-risk children and young people in WA. Amongst our initiatives in
2022, our government provided $2.3 million to support the establishment of the
WA branch of the Australian Centre for Child Protection, known as ACCP-WA.
Importantly, the centre conducts research
and professional training to safeguard children through better child protection
policy and practice . Recently, the
government provided a further $100 000 to ACCP-WA for specialised child trauma
training programs . This funding will support 450 scholarship
opportunities in 2023 for Western Australians working with children and young
people with complex trauma. These amazing workers include child protection practitioners
and other professionals who work with children and young people impacted by
trauma, such as our police and healthcare workers. A total of 290 scholarships
are currently open for applicants across two programs—first, a specially
designed course on understanding childhood trauma; and, second, the updated and
specially designed course on assessing childhood trauma. These training
programs help WA practitioners better understand, respond, assess and,
importantly, treat children and young people affected by abuse and
abuse-related trauma.
Further scholarships will become
available throughout the rest of the year. The scholarships reflect the McGowan
government's commitment to implementing the recommendations of the
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, especially
the need for a high-quality workforce to provide evidence-based therapeutic
services for abuse-related trauma. No child should ever have to suffer trauma
or abuse, but that is what our child
protection workforce face and respond to in their work every single day. These
important opportunities for professional development will help them to
better support and respond to the needs of children and young people.
Since 2017, we have also invested
over $136 million into early intervention in child protection, supporting
families to keep their children safely at home or reunifying families when it
is safe to do so. That includes $23.9 million in the last budget to implement
and expand the early intervention of family support services. Our investment in
WA's child protection system and our
support for its dedicated workers demonstrates the McGowan government's
ongoing commitment to protecting vulnerable children and keeping
families safe. Our child protection system in WA is underpinned by an amazing
high-quality dedicated workforce. It has been my privilege to meet with them in
Mirrabooka, in Joondalup—for a short while but I will be back there
longer—Geraldton, Derby, Broome and Fitzroy
Crossing. I look forward to continuing to advocate for them and make
announcements because the McGowan government knows the important work
that they do and the specialised skills that they need to work with our most
vulnerable children.
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