Question on Notice regarding breaches of standards for children in care by non-government agencies. The response indicates the standards monitoring process focuses on improvement rather than identifying 'breaches' and provides data on assessments undertaken.

AnsweredQoN 3720Legislative Council
Asked
21 October 2015
Portfolio
Child Protection

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to the Minister’s response to question on notice No. 1169, and I ask: (a) how many breaches of the “Better Care, Better Services: Standards for children and young people in protection and care” were reported by non-government agencies in each of the following periods: (i) 2014-2015; (ii) 2013-2014; and (iii) 2012-2013; (b) how many breaches were uncovered by the standards monitoring unit of the “Better Care, Better Services: Standards for children and young people in protection and care” in each of the following periods: (i) 2014-2015; (ii) 2013-2014; and (iii) 2012-2013; (c) how many assessments of non-government agencies were undertaken by the standards monitoring unit in each of the following periods: (i) 2014-2015; (ii) 2013-2014; and (iii) 2012-2013; and (d) how many children placed with non-government agencies were returned to the management of the department in each of the following periods: (i) 2014-2015; (ii) 2013-2014; and (iii) 2012-2013?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered
3 December 2015
Responded by
Minister for Child Protection
Response time
43 days
(a) The standards monitoring process focuses on quality assurance and continuous improvement. The standards monitoring process identifies commendations, opportunities for service improvement and required actions. Required actions must be implemented by services. The term or concept of a 'breach' is not applied within the Better Care Better Services (2007) (Standards) framework.
(b) See (a) above.
(c)
i. Twelve reports were completed for nine different non-government placement service providers in 2014-2015.
ii. Five reports were completed for three different non-government placement service providers in 2013-2014.
iii. Eleven reports were completed for seven different non-government placement service providers in 2012-2013.
The non government agency assessments are in addition to assessment of departmental district offices and residential facilities undertaken by the standards monitoring unit. This accounts for the differing number of non government agency assessments undertaken each financial year.
(d) The standards monitoring and self-assessment processes inform the Department for Child Protection and Family Support (the Department) about non-government placement service providers' standing against the Standards and enables the Department to support service providers to provide quality placement services to young people in out of home care. The standards monitoring process does not return young people to the "management of the Department".

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