❓ A parliamentary question regarding a newspaper report on 13 child deaths being reviewed by the Child Death Review Committee. The Minister clarifies the circumstances leading to the review and the criteria for referral.
AnsweredQoN 547Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CHILD DEATH REVIEW COMMITTEE - INVESTIGATION
I refer to an article in today’s The Australian newspaper that reports on another 13 child deaths being examined by the Child Death Review Committee. Will the minister clarify what circumstances led to a review of those deaths by that committee? Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN
I refer to an article in today’s The Australian newspaper that reports on another 13 child deaths being examined by the Child Death Review Committee. Will the minister clarify what circumstances led to a review of those deaths by that committee? Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Mindarie regarding his concern for children. I refer to the article the member mentioned and highlight to the house that it refers to the Child Death Review Committee’s investigations for 2005-06. I must highlight also that the 14 cases from that period are currently under review. These cases are at various stages in the review process. The report for 2005-06 has not yet been completed. The committee progressively takes referred cases for consideration from the coroner. The circumstances but not the causes of death in these cases are known. They include one case of illness, seven cases associated with sudden unexplained infant death, three cases of suicide and three cases of deaths associated with motor vehicle accidents. The government established the committee with the aim of ensuring that we look at deaths of the children and formulate processes to make sure that the protection of children is paramount. The committee has determined criteria for the referral of cases. It is important that we understand those criteria. The first is that a deceased child, young person or other children in a deceased child’s family have been the subject of an allegation of child maltreatment or a child-concern report recorded by the department within the past 24 months. The second is that the deceased child’s family has had a number of contacts with the department within the past 24 months and an emerging pattern is indicated. The third is that the deceased child was in the care of the department, or a request for departmental involvement in an out-of-home-care placement for the child or young person has been made within the past 24 months. Those are the criteria. In a number of reports in the media over the past few days, as we are well aware, the total number of cases of child deaths has been presented without providing relevant detail. An example is that sometimes contact with the department or a referral is of a very minor nature. Cases excluded from consideration by the committee include those in which contact with the department is negligible. Those are the criteria for referral to the Child Death Review Committee. That is an important process in the protection of children.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN replied: I thank the member for Mindarie regarding his concern for children. I refer to the article the member mentioned and highlight to the house that it refers to the Child Death Review Committee’s investigations for 2005-06. I must highlight also that the 14 cases from that period are currently under review. These cases are at various stages in the review process. The report for 2005-06 has not yet been completed. The committee progressively takes referred cases for consideration from the coroner. The circumstances but not the causes of death in these cases are known. They include one case of illness, seven cases associated with sudden unexplained infant death, three cases of suicide and three cases of deaths associated with motor vehicle accidents. The government established the committee with the aim of ensuring that we look at deaths of the children and formulate processes to make sure that the protection of children is paramount. The committee has determined criteria for the referral of cases. It is important that we understand those criteria. The first is that a deceased child, young person or other children in a deceased child’s family have been the subject of an allegation of child maltreatment or a child-concern report recorded by the department within the past 24 months. The second is that the deceased child’s family has had a number of contacts with the department within the past 24 months and an emerging pattern is indicated. The third is that the deceased child was in the care of the department, or a request for departmental involvement in an out-of-home-care placement for the child or young person has been made within the past 24 months. Those are the criteria. In a number of reports in the media over the past few days, as we are well aware, the total number of cases of child deaths has been presented without providing relevant detail. An example is that sometimes contact with the department or a referral is of a very minor nature. Cases excluded from consideration by the committee include those in which contact with the department is negligible. Those are the criteria for referral to the Child Death Review Committee. That is an important process in the protection of children.
I thank the member for Mindarie regarding his concern for children. I refer to the article the member mentioned and highlight to the house that it refers to the Child Death Review Committee’s investigations for 2005-06. I must highlight also that the 14 cases from that period are currently under review. These cases are at various stages in the review process. The report for 2005-06 has not yet been completed. The committee progressively takes referred cases for consideration from the coroner. The circumstances but not the causes of death in these cases are known. They include one case of illness, seven cases associated with sudden unexplained infant death, three cases of suicide and three cases of deaths associated with motor vehicle accidents. The government established the committee with the aim of ensuring that we look at deaths of the children and formulate processes to make sure that the protection of children is paramount. The committee has determined criteria for the referral of cases. It is important that we understand those criteria. The first is that a deceased child, young person or other children in a deceased child’s family have been the subject of an allegation of child maltreatment or a child-concern report recorded by the department within the past 24 months. The second is that the deceased child’s family has had a number of contacts with the department within the past 24 months and an emerging pattern is indicated. The third is that the deceased child was in the care of the department, or a request for departmental involvement in an out-of-home-care placement for the child or young person has been made within the past 24 months. Those are the criteria. In a number of reports in the media over the past few days, as we are well aware, the total number of cases of child deaths has been presented without providing relevant detail. An example is that sometimes contact with the department or a referral is of a very minor nature. Cases excluded from consideration by the committee include those in which contact with the department is negligible. Those are the criteria for referral to the Child Death Review Committee. That is an important process in the protection of children.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN replied: I thank the member for Mindarie regarding his concern for children. I refer to the article the member mentioned and highlight to the house that it refers to the Child Death Review Committee’s investigations for 2005-06. I must highlight also that the 14 cases from that period are currently under review. These cases are at various stages in the review process. The report for 2005-06 has not yet been completed. The committee progressively takes referred cases for consideration from the coroner. The circumstances but not the causes of death in these cases are known. They include one case of illness, seven cases associated with sudden unexplained infant death, three cases of suicide and three cases of deaths associated with motor vehicle accidents. The government established the committee with the aim of ensuring that we look at deaths of the children and formulate processes to make sure that the protection of children is paramount. The committee has determined criteria for the referral of cases. It is important that we understand those criteria. The first is that a deceased child, young person or other children in a deceased child’s family have been the subject of an allegation of child maltreatment or a child-concern report recorded by the department within the past 24 months. The second is that the deceased child’s family has had a number of contacts with the department within the past 24 months and an emerging pattern is indicated. The third is that the deceased child was in the care of the department, or a request for departmental involvement in an out-of-home-care placement for the child or young person has been made within the past 24 months. Those are the criteria. In a number of reports in the media over the past few days, as we are well aware, the total number of cases of child deaths has been presented without providing relevant detail. An example is that sometimes contact with the department or a referral is of a very minor nature. Cases excluded from consideration by the committee include those in which contact with the department is negligible. Those are the criteria for referral to the Child Death Review Committee. That is an important process in the protection of children.
I thank the member for Mindarie regarding his concern for children. I refer to the article the member mentioned and highlight to the house that it refers to the Child Death Review Committee’s investigations for 2005-06. I must highlight also that the 14 cases from that period are currently under review. These cases are at various stages in the review process. The report for 2005-06 has not yet been completed. The committee progressively takes referred cases for consideration from the coroner. The circumstances but not the causes of death in these cases are known. They include one case of illness, seven cases associated with sudden unexplained infant death, three cases of suicide and three cases of deaths associated with motor vehicle accidents. The government established the committee with the aim of ensuring that we look at deaths of the children and formulate processes to make sure that the protection of children is paramount. The committee has determined criteria for the referral of cases. It is important that we understand those criteria. The first is that a deceased child, young person or other children in a deceased child’s family have been the subject of an allegation of child maltreatment or a child-concern report recorded by the department within the past 24 months. The second is that the deceased child’s family has had a number of contacts with the department within the past 24 months and an emerging pattern is indicated. The third is that the deceased child was in the care of the department, or a request for departmental involvement in an out-of-home-care placement for the child or young person has been made within the past 24 months. Those are the criteria. In a number of reports in the media over the past few days, as we are well aware, the total number of cases of child deaths has been presented without providing relevant detail. An example is that sometimes contact with the department or a referral is of a very minor nature. Cases excluded from consideration by the committee include those in which contact with the department is negligible. Those are the criteria for referral to the Child Death Review Committee. That is an important process in the protection of children.
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