❓ Mr. Love questions the Minister for Community Services regarding accountability for 1,000 at-risk young people, prompting a defensive response about existing monitoring systems and union involvement.
AnsweredQoN 186Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CHILD PROTECTION —
CASEWORKERS — WORKLOAD
186. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Community Services:
I have a supplementary question. I thank
the minister very much for that very lengthy answer. What accountability does
the minister take for those 1 000 young people who are still at risk?
CASEWORKERS — WORKLOAD
186. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Community Services:
I have a supplementary question. I thank
the minister very much for that very lengthy answer. What accountability does
the minister take for those 1 000 young people who are still at risk?
AnswerView source ↗
I
am sorry if the member found my answer a little lengthy. Perhaps he would have
been interested in hearing what I was saying about supporting those
children in care and the extra work we are doing, both with community
organisations, and Aboriginal organisations in particular, but also in looking
at reforming our system to have better outcomes for those children in care.
The number of children who are on
the monitored list that the member referred to is nothing new. That is a system
that was contemplated in the industrial relations decision —
Mr R.S. Love : It's
nothing new, so it's acceptable to you!
Ms S.F. McGURK : Can the member
listen to what I am saying? Does he think he could take a minute or two to
listen to what I am saying when he asks a question? That is, having a monitored
list in our child protection system is
nothing new; it was contemplated when the ratio of children in care to child
protection workers was first arrived at in the industrial relations
system and its decisions, and it is still in place today. I have said to the
Community and Public Sector Union–Civil
Service Association of WA that if they have concerns about that and they think
that system is being manipulated or is not in the spirit of the previous
decision, they should go back to the independent umpire and have that matter
revisited. They have chosen not to do that.
am sorry if the member found my answer a little lengthy. Perhaps he would have
been interested in hearing what I was saying about supporting those
children in care and the extra work we are doing, both with community
organisations, and Aboriginal organisations in particular, but also in looking
at reforming our system to have better outcomes for those children in care.
The number of children who are on
the monitored list that the member referred to is nothing new. That is a system
that was contemplated in the industrial relations decision —
Mr R.S. Love : It's
nothing new, so it's acceptable to you!
Ms S.F. McGURK : Can the member
listen to what I am saying? Does he think he could take a minute or two to
listen to what I am saying when he asks a question? That is, having a monitored
list in our child protection system is
nothing new; it was contemplated when the ratio of children in care to child
protection workers was first arrived at in the industrial relations
system and its decisions, and it is still in place today. I have said to the
Community and Public Sector Union–Civil
Service Association of WA that if they have concerns about that and they think
that system is being manipulated or is not in the spirit of the previous
decision, they should go back to the independent umpire and have that matter
revisited. They have chosen not to do that.
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