❓ Hon Nick Goiran questions the Minister for Child Protection regarding procedures for missing children in care, specifically concerning the assessment of potential victimisation. The Minister confirms the practice and its origins in a 2023 MOU with WA Police.
AnsweredQoN 689Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
Children in care— Child
Protection Guide
689. Hon Nick Goiran to
the minister representing the Minister for Child Protection:
I note that it is
National Child Protection Week and refer to the Child
Protection Guide , specifically section E.17, "Missing and unaccounted
for children in care".
(1) Is the minister aware that under the
subheading "When the child is located" it states that caseworkers
should "Establish if the child was a victim of any crime while they were
missing"?
(2) Noting that the guide was last updated on 18
June 2025, when was this specific requirement included?
(3) Further to (2), what was the genesis of its
inclusion?
(4) What steps does the department take to confirm
that caseworkers apply this requirement when children are located?
Protection Guide
689. Hon Nick Goiran to
the minister representing the Minister for Child Protection:
I note that it is
National Child Protection Week and refer to the Child
Protection Guide , specifically section E.17, "Missing and unaccounted
for children in care".
(1) Is the minister aware that under the
subheading "When the child is located" it states that caseworkers
should "Establish if the child was a victim of any crime while they were
missing"?
(2) Noting that the guide was last updated on 18
June 2025, when was this specific requirement included?
(3) Further to (2), what was the genesis of its
inclusion?
(4) What steps does the department take to confirm
that caseworkers apply this requirement when children are located?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the
honourable member for some notice of the question. The following response has
been provided by the Minister for Child Protection. The Department of
Communities advises the following.
(1) Yes. This is longstanding practice guidance
that has been in place to ensure that when children in care are located
following a period of being uncontactable, child safety practitioners are
consciously seeking to ensure they are safe and to provide relevant information
to the WA Police Force to ensure their ongoing safety.
(2)–(3) This has been in practice guidance
since early 2023 following the new memorandum of understanding with the WA
Police Force, which led to a new procedure for assessing if children in care
are missing or unaccounted for and taking the appropriate actions to ensure their
safety.
(4) Any allegation of serious harm to a child in
care is treated as a priority by the Department of Communities� and
investigated accordingly. When Communities is made aware of concerns raised
while a child in care has been listed as "missing" or "unaccounted
for, not in contact", appropriate services and supports are provided to
the young person. Communities also engages regularly with WA Police Force
regarding missing children. When children re-engage with Communities, the young
person's caseworker will work with them to confirm their safety and wellbeing.
honourable member for some notice of the question. The following response has
been provided by the Minister for Child Protection. The Department of
Communities advises the following.
(1) Yes. This is longstanding practice guidance
that has been in place to ensure that when children in care are located
following a period of being uncontactable, child safety practitioners are
consciously seeking to ensure they are safe and to provide relevant information
to the WA Police Force to ensure their ongoing safety.
(2)–(3) This has been in practice guidance
since early 2023 following the new memorandum of understanding with the WA
Police Force, which led to a new procedure for assessing if children in care
are missing or unaccounted for and taking the appropriate actions to ensure their
safety.
(4) Any allegation of serious harm to a child in
care is treated as a priority by the Department of Communities� and
investigated accordingly. When Communities is made aware of concerns raised
while a child in care has been listed as "missing" or "unaccounted
for, not in contact", appropriate services and supports are provided to
the young person. Communities also engages regularly with WA Police Force
regarding missing children. When children re-engage with Communities, the young
person's caseworker will work with them to confirm their safety and wellbeing.
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.