❓ Mrs. Clarke asks about the expansion of Aboriginal in-home support services in the Peel region. The Minister responds by highlighting the government's commitment to child safety, early intervention, and partnerships with Aboriginal-controlled organisations, citing positive results and reduced numbers of children in care.
AnsweredQoN 556Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ABORIGINAL IN-HOME SUPPORT SERVICE — PEEL REGION
556. Mrs R.M.J. CLARKE to the Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to keeping children safe and efforts to ensure
that they are connected to their families and their community. Can the minister
outline to the house how the expansion of the Aboriginal in-home support
service will assist vulnerable families living in the Peel region?
556. Mrs R.M.J. CLARKE to the Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to keeping children safe and efforts to ensure
that they are connected to their families and their community. Can the minister
outline to the house how the expansion of the Aboriginal in-home support
service will assist vulnerable families living in the Peel region?
AnswerView source ↗
This government is very much
committed to keeping children safe. I look forward to debating the improvements
to the working with children check scheme in Western Australia this afternoon,
and, of course, the Parliament recently passed the reportable conduct scheme.
Both are important recommendations from the Royal Commission into Institutional
Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The government has also invested record
amounts into early intervention to prevent children coming into our child
protection system, and we have had some very good results. In fact, one of the
signature policies and programs that we have put in place is the Aboriginal
in-home support service. This service will give contracts to
Aboriginal-controlled organisations that work with Aboriginal families whose
children are at risk of coming into the child protection system or, in fact,
have come into the child protection system. The Department of Communities and
its partner organisations are working to reunite the children with their
families.
We have provided nearly $30 million
of new funding for early intervention since coming into government. I was very
pleased to be with the member for Murray–Wellington and the member for
Dawesville when we met with Wungening Aboriginal Corporation representatives
and local Department of Communities staff to extend the Aboriginal in-home support service to the Peel area. We have had some
great results with that service. As at June 2022, 89 per cent of the WA
families referred to that service have had their children remain at home with
them after 12 months. That is quite remarkable. It is great to see that work
extend to the Peel area. We are hearing from both the district Child Protection
staff and Wungening. As members can imagine, a number of Aboriginal families
are wary of dealing with government authorities. They have lots of issues going
on in their life. It is good to have a third
party come along, particularly an Aboriginal-controlled organisation, and say, ''What's
going on? Can we try to get on top of some of these issues?''
They have had really good engagement with those families.
Significantly, over the 12
months to June 2022, the number of children in care statewide dropped by 4.7 per
cent, which is a reduction in the number of children in care. That includes a reduction
of 3.3 per cent of Aboriginal children in care. That measure is one of the new
Closing the Gap targets. Over the last 24 months, we have seen consecutive
years of reductions in the number of children in care. That is the first
reduction since 1997—over a quarter of a century ago. I am very proud
of the work that we are doing to help partner with Aboriginal-controlled
organisations to work with Aboriginal families. We have had record investment
in early intervention, improvement of the capacity both within the Department
of Communities and with our partner organisations to keep children safe, where
possible to keep them out of the child protection system but if they are there,
make sure that we have good partners with Aboriginal-controlled organisations
to give children a good sense of their identity, connection with their extended
family and with their country.
The SPEAKER : The Deputy
Leader of the Opposition with the last question.
Mr S.A. Millman interjected.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Mr R.H. Cook : You got a supplementary
there, Simon?
The SPEAKER : I think he may
need to leave the chamber if he has a supplementary.
committed to keeping children safe. I look forward to debating the improvements
to the working with children check scheme in Western Australia this afternoon,
and, of course, the Parliament recently passed the reportable conduct scheme.
Both are important recommendations from the Royal Commission into Institutional
Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The government has also invested record
amounts into early intervention to prevent children coming into our child
protection system, and we have had some very good results. In fact, one of the
signature policies and programs that we have put in place is the Aboriginal
in-home support service. This service will give contracts to
Aboriginal-controlled organisations that work with Aboriginal families whose
children are at risk of coming into the child protection system or, in fact,
have come into the child protection system. The Department of Communities and
its partner organisations are working to reunite the children with their
families.
We have provided nearly $30 million
of new funding for early intervention since coming into government. I was very
pleased to be with the member for Murray–Wellington and the member for
Dawesville when we met with Wungening Aboriginal Corporation representatives
and local Department of Communities staff to extend the Aboriginal in-home support service to the Peel area. We have had some
great results with that service. As at June 2022, 89 per cent of the WA
families referred to that service have had their children remain at home with
them after 12 months. That is quite remarkable. It is great to see that work
extend to the Peel area. We are hearing from both the district Child Protection
staff and Wungening. As members can imagine, a number of Aboriginal families
are wary of dealing with government authorities. They have lots of issues going
on in their life. It is good to have a third
party come along, particularly an Aboriginal-controlled organisation, and say, ''What's
going on? Can we try to get on top of some of these issues?''
They have had really good engagement with those families.
Significantly, over the 12
months to June 2022, the number of children in care statewide dropped by 4.7 per
cent, which is a reduction in the number of children in care. That includes a reduction
of 3.3 per cent of Aboriginal children in care. That measure is one of the new
Closing the Gap targets. Over the last 24 months, we have seen consecutive
years of reductions in the number of children in care. That is the first
reduction since 1997—over a quarter of a century ago. I am very proud
of the work that we are doing to help partner with Aboriginal-controlled
organisations to work with Aboriginal families. We have had record investment
in early intervention, improvement of the capacity both within the Department
of Communities and with our partner organisations to keep children safe, where
possible to keep them out of the child protection system but if they are there,
make sure that we have good partners with Aboriginal-controlled organisations
to give children a good sense of their identity, connection with their extended
family and with their country.
The SPEAKER : The Deputy
Leader of the Opposition with the last question.
Mr S.A. Millman interjected.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Mr R.H. Cook : You got a supplementary
there, Simon?
The SPEAKER : I think he may
need to leave the chamber if he has a supplementary.
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