❓ Hon. Alison Xamon questions the Minister for Child Protection regarding the placement of a 10-year-old child in care, specifically concerning accommodation options and therapeutic support. The Minister declines to comment on the specific case, citing privacy concerns and outlining general placement principles.
AnsweredQoN 588Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
CHILDREN IN CARE —
SECURE CARE PLACEMENT
588. Hon ALISON XAMON to the Leader of the House
representing the Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to the report on the front
page of The West Australian today of a 10-year-old child in the care of
the chief executive officer of the Department of Communities.
(1) How long has the child been in
care?
(2) Is it usual for a 10-year-old
to be placed in a hostel rather than with a foster family?
(3) What accommodation options had
been explored for this child?
(4) Why was the child not placed in
secure care?
(5) What therapeutic behavioural
support has been provided to the child and/or his carers?
(6) If none to (5), why?
SECURE CARE PLACEMENT
588. Hon ALISON XAMON to the Leader of the House
representing the Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to the report on the front
page of The West Australian today of a 10-year-old child in the care of
the chief executive officer of the Department of Communities.
(1) How long has the child been in
care?
(2) Is it usual for a 10-year-old
to be placed in a hostel rather than with a foster family?
(3) What accommodation options had
been explored for this child?
(4) Why was the child not placed in
secure care?
(5) What therapeutic behavioural
support has been provided to the child and/or his carers?
(6) If none to (5), why?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1)–(6) I
do not comment on individual cases as this risks the identification of
individuals. In alignment with the Department
of Communities' placement principles, Communities prioritises the placement
of children with their extended family or a similar home environment
such as foster care before considering a residential care facility. Residential
care facilities are for children with very complex, high-care and trauma needs.
In situations in which a child is in care, Communities assesses potential
family and carer placements. When a young person has complex and high-care
needs, carers will require specialised skills and any potential placement will
take time to locate, assess and support prior to commencement. For the chief
executive officer to place a child in a secure care facility, the legislative
threshold for a secure care arrangement under section 88C of the Children and
Community Services Act 2004 must be met. Communities offers psychological
supports as well as referrals to external supports to address care needs.
some notice of the question.
(1)–(6) I
do not comment on individual cases as this risks the identification of
individuals. In alignment with the Department
of Communities' placement principles, Communities prioritises the placement
of children with their extended family or a similar home environment
such as foster care before considering a residential care facility. Residential
care facilities are for children with very complex, high-care and trauma needs.
In situations in which a child is in care, Communities assesses potential
family and carer placements. When a young person has complex and high-care
needs, carers will require specialised skills and any potential placement will
take time to locate, assess and support prior to commencement. For the chief
executive officer to place a child in a secure care facility, the legislative
threshold for a secure care arrangement under section 88C of the Children and
Community Services Act 2004 must be met. Communities offers psychological
supports as well as referrals to external supports to address care needs.
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.