❓ Ms. Beard asks about the status of the promised intensive family support team in Carnarvon and funding for safe spaces for children. The Minister responds with updates on child protection investments and processes for after-hours care, but doesn't directly answer the specific questions about filled positions.
AnsweredQoN 625Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
INTENSIVE FAMILY SUPPORT TEAM — CARNARVON
625. Ms M. BEARD to the Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to the minister's
announcement in August that the government would deliver an intensive family
support team in Carnarvon, which aims to help children remain safely at home
with their parents.
(1) How many of the promised
positions have been filled?
(2) If the answer to (1) is none,
when might these be filled?
(3) Will the
minister fund a service to provide a safe space for children who cannot stay at
home safely?
625. Ms M. BEARD to the Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to the minister's
announcement in August that the government would deliver an intensive family
support team in Carnarvon, which aims to help children remain safely at home
with their parents.
(1) How many of the promised
positions have been filled?
(2) If the answer to (1) is none,
when might these be filled?
(3) Will the
minister fund a service to provide a safe space for children who cannot stay at
home safely?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3) I thank the member for the question and for her
interest in this area. I was not in the chamber for her inaugural speech, but I intend to go back and have a listen because one of the challenges
that we all have either in policy areas or in our portfolio is when we see a need
to draw focus and attention to areas of need, but then not to talk those areas
down so much that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. That is my concern
about somewhere like Carnarvon, where I visited recently—sorry, I was
in Geraldton recently. But it was not that
long ago that I saw some really great things occurring in that community. I am
sure that the member sees them, too. I understand that there are
challenges there.
In
the budget, we announced that an extra $36 million would be dedicated to new
child protection positions . As part of that announcement, I was pleased,
as the member said, that an intensive family support team would be set up,
comprising, on recollection, about six child protection workers and a team
leader. It was something of that order. Those positions have been advertised
and they are now in the process of being filled. Those workers will all be
locally based and, as the name implies, they will start to work intensively
with families who either have children in the child protection system or are
working to avoid children coming into the child protection system. Sadly, we
know that a lot of the antisocial behaviour that we see in communities can
often be led back to those same households. If we can address some of those
issues proactively in child protection, we are likely dealing with a whole lot
of other issues such as kids getting back to school, stability in tenancies,
perhaps other overcrowding issues in the household et cetera.
I am very pleased with some of the
work that has been done in child protection in the Department of Communities. During my visit to Geraldton that I was
talking about before, one of the things that we realised during the
COVID-19 pandemic was that we were able to separate some of the children and
young people in residential care into smaller cohorts of houses. We did that
for safety reasons during COVID. We also realised that there was a lot of
settling of some of the young people's behaviour. We have now
prioritised a number of new residential care
homes throughout regional WA, which I know the member will be pleased to
hear. I was there to open two of three new residential care homes in Geraldton.
They have been staffed. I think we will see some great outcomes with those
young people in those homes.
That
is the sort of investment and reform we are seeing in child protection. We are
seeing some good outcomes , but there are challenges in that system. The
nature of families coming to our attention in child protection is that they
have challenges. That is the nature of them coming to the attention of the
Department of Communities, particularly in relation to child protection.
If I remember correctly, the last
part of the member's question was about safe places for children after
hours. I am sure the police in that area and in the member's electorate
are aware of this, but if they cannot find somewhere safe to take those
children after hours, there is a crisis line. Child protection workers are available on call after hours to assist in that
regard. That is for members of the community or first responders such as
the police.
interest in this area. I was not in the chamber for her inaugural speech, but I intend to go back and have a listen because one of the challenges
that we all have either in policy areas or in our portfolio is when we see a need
to draw focus and attention to areas of need, but then not to talk those areas
down so much that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. That is my concern
about somewhere like Carnarvon, where I visited recently—sorry, I was
in Geraldton recently. But it was not that
long ago that I saw some really great things occurring in that community. I am
sure that the member sees them, too. I understand that there are
challenges there.
In
the budget, we announced that an extra $36 million would be dedicated to new
child protection positions . As part of that announcement, I was pleased,
as the member said, that an intensive family support team would be set up,
comprising, on recollection, about six child protection workers and a team
leader. It was something of that order. Those positions have been advertised
and they are now in the process of being filled. Those workers will all be
locally based and, as the name implies, they will start to work intensively
with families who either have children in the child protection system or are
working to avoid children coming into the child protection system. Sadly, we
know that a lot of the antisocial behaviour that we see in communities can
often be led back to those same households. If we can address some of those
issues proactively in child protection, we are likely dealing with a whole lot
of other issues such as kids getting back to school, stability in tenancies,
perhaps other overcrowding issues in the household et cetera.
I am very pleased with some of the
work that has been done in child protection in the Department of Communities. During my visit to Geraldton that I was
talking about before, one of the things that we realised during the
COVID-19 pandemic was that we were able to separate some of the children and
young people in residential care into smaller cohorts of houses. We did that
for safety reasons during COVID. We also realised that there was a lot of
settling of some of the young people's behaviour. We have now
prioritised a number of new residential care
homes throughout regional WA, which I know the member will be pleased to
hear. I was there to open two of three new residential care homes in Geraldton.
They have been staffed. I think we will see some great outcomes with those
young people in those homes.
That
is the sort of investment and reform we are seeing in child protection. We are
seeing some good outcomes , but there are challenges in that system. The
nature of families coming to our attention in child protection is that they
have challenges. That is the nature of them coming to the attention of the
Department of Communities, particularly in relation to child protection.
If I remember correctly, the last
part of the member's question was about safe places for children after
hours. I am sure the police in that area and in the member's electorate
are aware of this, but if they cannot find somewhere safe to take those
children after hours, there is a crisis line. Child protection workers are available on call after hours to assist in that
regard. That is for members of the community or first responders such as
the police.
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