❓ A parliamentary question regarding the number of children in care reported missing, the department's procedures when a child goes missing, and the timeliness of public appeals, particularly concerning three boys missing from Parkerville. The Minister's response provides some information but declines to provide specific historical data.
AnsweredQoN 29Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
DEPARTMENT
FOR CHILD PROTECTION AND FAMILY SUPPORT — CHILDREN IN CARE OF CEO REPORTED
MISSING
29. Hon STEPHEN DAWSON to the
Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to children in the care of the chief executive
officer of the Department for Child Protection and Family Support.
(1) How many children have been reported missing to WA Police
for each of the past five years?
(2) What is the process that the department has in place when
a child goes missing?
(3) Is the CEO
and the minister alerted when a child is missing; and, if so, what is the time
frame to advise the CEO and minister?
(4) Why did
the department wait five days before issuing a public appeal to help locate
three boys who went missing from Parkerville recently?
FOR CHILD PROTECTION AND FAMILY SUPPORT — CHILDREN IN CARE OF CEO REPORTED
MISSING
29. Hon STEPHEN DAWSON to the
Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to children in the care of the chief executive
officer of the Department for Child Protection and Family Support.
(1) How many children have been reported missing to WA Police
for each of the past five years?
(2) What is the process that the department has in place when
a child goes missing?
(3) Is the CEO
and the minister alerted when a child is missing; and, if so, what is the time
frame to advise the CEO and minister?
(4) Why did
the department wait five days before issuing a public appeal to help locate
three boys who went missing from Parkerville recently?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice of the question.
(1) The
information about these children is contained in their individual files.
Consequently, I have not asked the department to go back five years to pull
each individual file to find out that information.
(2) Police are
informed each and every time a child in care is missing for more than 30
minutes. The decision about when and how the public is informed by the media —
Hon
Stephen Dawson : No, the
question was about the minister and the CEO.
The PRESIDENT :
Order! L et the minister answer first.
Hon HELEN MORTON : T he question was: what is the
process the department has in place when a child goes missing? The answer is —
� Police are informed each and every time a
child in care is missing for more than 30 minutes. The decision about when and
how the public is informed by the media is a carefully considered professional
judgement. The media and public can play an important role in locating lost
children; however, this is not always the case. In some situations premature
media and public awareness can compromise a child's safety,
particularly when they are being actively hidden by family or friends. A
seemingly helpful call for public help can actually tip-off those involved and
make it even harder to locate the child. Child protection workers have
extensive knowledge of children's families, friends and community
networks, and they usually utilise these to locate the child in circumstances
such as the one concerning the three children missing recently.
Children in care do not run away
often; however, it does happen from time to time. It needs to be recognised
that all children in care have experienced trauma and hardship in their lives
and these experiences have had a lasting impact on behaviours, particularly in
adolescence. Running away and pushing the boundaries of adults can be a part of
this behaviour. The department investigates the full circumstances of every
child that absconds. The investigation often involves interviewing the child,
carers, staff and any other significant person. With reference in particular to
the case recently of the three children who were reconnected with child
protection services, the families were absolutely instrumental in assisting the
department to reconnect with those children. It was working with the families
and providing that assistance to the department that actually enabled that
reconnection to take place.
(3) The chief executive officer and
I are alerted on a case-by-case basis.
(4) I refer to the response to (2).
(1) The
information about these children is contained in their individual files.
Consequently, I have not asked the department to go back five years to pull
each individual file to find out that information.
(2) Police are
informed each and every time a child in care is missing for more than 30
minutes. The decision about when and how the public is informed by the media —
Hon
Stephen Dawson : No, the
question was about the minister and the CEO.
The PRESIDENT :
Order! L et the minister answer first.
Hon HELEN MORTON : T he question was: what is the
process the department has in place when a child goes missing? The answer is —
� Police are informed each and every time a
child in care is missing for more than 30 minutes. The decision about when and
how the public is informed by the media is a carefully considered professional
judgement. The media and public can play an important role in locating lost
children; however, this is not always the case. In some situations premature
media and public awareness can compromise a child's safety,
particularly when they are being actively hidden by family or friends. A
seemingly helpful call for public help can actually tip-off those involved and
make it even harder to locate the child. Child protection workers have
extensive knowledge of children's families, friends and community
networks, and they usually utilise these to locate the child in circumstances
such as the one concerning the three children missing recently.
Children in care do not run away
often; however, it does happen from time to time. It needs to be recognised
that all children in care have experienced trauma and hardship in their lives
and these experiences have had a lasting impact on behaviours, particularly in
adolescence. Running away and pushing the boundaries of adults can be a part of
this behaviour. The department investigates the full circumstances of every
child that absconds. The investigation often involves interviewing the child,
carers, staff and any other significant person. With reference in particular to
the case recently of the three children who were reconnected with child
protection services, the families were absolutely instrumental in assisting the
department to reconnect with those children. It was working with the families
and providing that assistance to the department that actually enabled that
reconnection to take place.
(3) The chief executive officer and
I are alerted on a case-by-case basis.
(4) I refer to the response to (2).
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