❓ Hon Nick Goiran asks about the number of children in the care of the Department of Communities CEO whose whereabouts are unknown. The Minister responds that 11 children fall into this category as of August 31, 2021, and outlines the department's procedures for monitoring their safety.
AnsweredQoN 664Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
CHILDREN IN CARE —
WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN
664. Hon NICK GOIRAN to the parliamentary secretary representing the
Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to children in the care of
the CEO of the Department of Communities. How many children are in the care of
the CEO whose whereabouts are currently unknown?
WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN
664. Hon NICK GOIRAN to the parliamentary secretary representing the
Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to children in the care of
the CEO of the Department of Communities. How many children are in the care of
the CEO whose whereabouts are currently unknown?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice
of the question and provide the following answer on behalf of the Minister for
Child Protection.
As
at 31 August 2021, there were 11 children in the care of the chief executive
officer of the Department of Communities whose whereabouts and/or living
arrangements were recorded as unknown. In a small number of cases, children in
care will choose to leave placements to assert their own choices about where
they will live. When a person has chosen to live with people or family in an
arrangement that has not been endorsed by Communities, and has been located by
the caseworker, an assessment of that placement is arranged as a matter of
priority. Young people living in unknown arrangements are still in the care of
the chief executive officer. Whilst their location is unknown, or the young
person is unwilling to disclose their location, they may still be in contact
with their caseworker or other safety networks that keep contact with them,
such as through social media or attendance at school. Their safety and
wellbeing is monitored by their caseworker and they are able to access the same
supports.
of the question and provide the following answer on behalf of the Minister for
Child Protection.
As
at 31 August 2021, there were 11 children in the care of the chief executive
officer of the Department of Communities whose whereabouts and/or living
arrangements were recorded as unknown. In a small number of cases, children in
care will choose to leave placements to assert their own choices about where
they will live. When a person has chosen to live with people or family in an
arrangement that has not been endorsed by Communities, and has been located by
the caseworker, an assessment of that placement is arranged as a matter of
priority. Young people living in unknown arrangements are still in the care of
the chief executive officer. Whilst their location is unknown, or the young
person is unwilling to disclose their location, they may still be in contact
with their caseworker or other safety networks that keep contact with them,
such as through social media or attendance at school. Their safety and
wellbeing is monitored by their caseworker and they are able to access the same
supports.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.