❓ Ms. Farrer asks about new services for vulnerable families to prevent child protection system involvement. The Minister outlines Aboriginal in-home support services and partnerships with Aboriginal-controlled organisations across WA.
AnsweredQoN 663Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CHILD PROTECTION — ABORIGINAL IN-HOME
SUPPORT SERVICES
663. Ms J. FARRER to the Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's commitment
to supporting vulnerable children and families before they come into contact
with the child protection system. Can the minister outline what new services
are available for these families?
SUPPORT SERVICES
663. Ms J. FARRER to the Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's commitment
to supporting vulnerable children and families before they come into contact
with the child protection system. Can the minister outline what new services
are available for these families?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member very much for the question and for her
commitment to her community and this particular challenging area of work. As
members know, we work in child protection to keep children safe. Unfortunately
we have a number of children who are not able to stay with their birth families
and whose safety is at risk, but wherever we can keep children safe, we keep
them with their families. A big part of our work—in fact, part of the
work we have done since coming to government—with the Department of
Communities is to provide wraparound services to work with families to ensure
that children do not end up in the child protection system. Our priority is to
keep families together when it is safe to do so.
As part of our reform in
the new Department of Communities, we have undertaken procurement as part of a series
of areas where we work with early intervention and supporting families. Those
early intervention services include Aboriginal in-home support services. That
is where Aboriginal-led organisations provide support to families in their home
for practical support. It also includes family support networks—this is
helping broker, with vulnerable families or individuals in those families,
access to other services through their networks—and intensive family
support. That is where an agency will go in and work really intensively with
families and individuals within those families.
A priority of this government has been to work alongside
Aboriginal-controlled organisations when we are working with Aboriginal
families. In order to put this strategy together, we worked through a number of
workshops and stakeholder engagements across the state. As a result, last year
we announced the Aboriginal in-home support services for the metropolitan area.
It is led by Wungening Moort Consortium, which comprises four Aboriginal-controlled
organisations. That has now been rolled out around the state. I am pleased to
report that as of the start of September, the full family support networks and
intensive family support services are up and running across the state. These
are either run by Aboriginal-controlled organisations or in partnership with
other not-for-profit organisations.
As I said, in the metropolitan area Wungening Moort
Consortium is working with other Aboriginal-controlled organisations and, in part, partnering with UnitingCare West. In the
Pilbara, local Aboriginal community-controlled organisations Wirraka
Maya Health Service Aboriginal Corporation and Mawarnkarra Health Service are
working with MacKillop Family Services to provide intensive family support
services. In the goldfields and great southern, Yorgum Aboriginal Corporation
and Anglicare WA are working together. In the East Kimberley, Key Assets is
working with the Wunan Foundation and the Ngnowar-Aerwah Aboriginal
Corporation. In the West Kimberley, Derby Aboriginal Health Service and Broome
Regional Aboriginal Medical Service are working with Centacare Kimberley as
well as MercyCare. A number of Aboriginal-controlled organisations are working
with not-for-profit organisations to provide practical, intensive support for families
at risk of going into the child protection system.
So far, we have had very positive feedback from engagement
and work being done with those families; so much so that Aboriginal in-home
support services are currently working with over 40 Aboriginal families. These
families are some of the most at risk of their children entering care. Members
across the chamber and other regional members, might be interested in knowing
that more than 10 towns now, representing over 60 per cent of the regional
population in WA, have access to in-home intensive support as part of the
Department of Communities' reforms for child protection. I think we all
agree that if these programs are successful, we will all be better off as a state
as well as communities and families affected.
The SPEAKER : That is the end of question time.
commitment to her community and this particular challenging area of work. As
members know, we work in child protection to keep children safe. Unfortunately
we have a number of children who are not able to stay with their birth families
and whose safety is at risk, but wherever we can keep children safe, we keep
them with their families. A big part of our work—in fact, part of the
work we have done since coming to government—with the Department of
Communities is to provide wraparound services to work with families to ensure
that children do not end up in the child protection system. Our priority is to
keep families together when it is safe to do so.
As part of our reform in
the new Department of Communities, we have undertaken procurement as part of a series
of areas where we work with early intervention and supporting families. Those
early intervention services include Aboriginal in-home support services. That
is where Aboriginal-led organisations provide support to families in their home
for practical support. It also includes family support networks—this is
helping broker, with vulnerable families or individuals in those families,
access to other services through their networks—and intensive family
support. That is where an agency will go in and work really intensively with
families and individuals within those families.
A priority of this government has been to work alongside
Aboriginal-controlled organisations when we are working with Aboriginal
families. In order to put this strategy together, we worked through a number of
workshops and stakeholder engagements across the state. As a result, last year
we announced the Aboriginal in-home support services for the metropolitan area.
It is led by Wungening Moort Consortium, which comprises four Aboriginal-controlled
organisations. That has now been rolled out around the state. I am pleased to
report that as of the start of September, the full family support networks and
intensive family support services are up and running across the state. These
are either run by Aboriginal-controlled organisations or in partnership with
other not-for-profit organisations.
As I said, in the metropolitan area Wungening Moort
Consortium is working with other Aboriginal-controlled organisations and, in part, partnering with UnitingCare West. In the
Pilbara, local Aboriginal community-controlled organisations Wirraka
Maya Health Service Aboriginal Corporation and Mawarnkarra Health Service are
working with MacKillop Family Services to provide intensive family support
services. In the goldfields and great southern, Yorgum Aboriginal Corporation
and Anglicare WA are working together. In the East Kimberley, Key Assets is
working with the Wunan Foundation and the Ngnowar-Aerwah Aboriginal
Corporation. In the West Kimberley, Derby Aboriginal Health Service and Broome
Regional Aboriginal Medical Service are working with Centacare Kimberley as
well as MercyCare. A number of Aboriginal-controlled organisations are working
with not-for-profit organisations to provide practical, intensive support for families
at risk of going into the child protection system.
So far, we have had very positive feedback from engagement
and work being done with those families; so much so that Aboriginal in-home
support services are currently working with over 40 Aboriginal families. These
families are some of the most at risk of their children entering care. Members
across the chamber and other regional members, might be interested in knowing
that more than 10 towns now, representing over 60 per cent of the regional
population in WA, have access to in-home intensive support as part of the
Department of Communities' reforms for child protection. I think we all
agree that if these programs are successful, we will all be better off as a state
as well as communities and families affected.
The SPEAKER : That is the end of question time.
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