A WA parliamentary question seeks information on the whereabouts of children in care, specifically those recorded as 'unknown—in contact' or missing, and whether they have been reported to the police. The Minister provides figures on these categories.

AnsweredQoN 905Legislative Council
Asked
13 October 2022
Portfolio
Child Protection

QuestionView source ↗

CHILDREN IN CARE —
WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN
905. Hon NICK GOIRAN to the Leader of the House representing
the Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to the
answer to question without notice 754 answered on 31 August 2022.
(1) Have the four
children recorded in the placement type ''unknown—in contact''
been found?
(2) How many
children who are in the care of the CEO have their whereabouts currently
recorded as —
(a) a missing
person; or
(b) ''unknown—in
contact''?
(3) Further to
(2), how many have been reported to the Western Australia Police Force as a missing
person?

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the
honourable member for some notice of the question.
Children
and young people may move between living arrangements, which are recorded by
case management in the child or young person's placement type. A
child is recorded in a placement type ''unknown—in contact''
when the young person is unwilling to
disclose their location but is still in contact with their caseworker or other
safety networks that keep in contact with them. If the child cannot be
located or contacted, they are recorded in placement type ''missing child'' and a missing
persons report is submitted to the Western Australia Police Force. Every child
still has access to the same supports that would be made available to
them if they were residing in their approved placement.
As at 13 October
2022 —
(1) Yes.
(2) (a) One.
(b) Two.
(3) One.

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