❓ Question on Notice regarding child protection notifications in the Goldfields District, specifically concerning child sexual abuse and referrals to other agencies. The answer provides limited specific data due to administrative burden.
AnsweredQoN 2481Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to your answer to my question without notice No. 822 in which you informed the House that in the first six months of 2019, the Department’s Goldfields District received 73 notifications, and I ask: (a) were 5 of the 73 notifications of child sexual abuse during this period substantiated; (b) of the other 68 notifications, how many were referred to other agencies; and (c) further to (b), which agencies received those referrals?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
22 October 2019
Responded by
Leader of the House representing the Minister for Child Protection
Response time
9 days
(a) Yes
(b) Section 31 of the Children and Community Services Act 2004 enables the Department of Communities to receive information that raises concerns about a child’s wellbeing. This information is called a “notification” for reporting purposes. Section 31 enables the Chief Executive Officer to make enquiries as considered reasonably necessary for the purpose of determining whether action should be taken to safeguard or promote the child’s wellbeing. All notifications should be recorded and assessed using the Interaction Tool. There are three possible outcomes from a notification; no further action, referral to another agency, progress to an initial inquiry. This information is held on individual case files and, as such, it would impose a significant administrative burden on Communities to source this data.
(c) Not applicable.
(b) Section 31 of the Children and Community Services Act 2004 enables the Department of Communities to receive information that raises concerns about a child’s wellbeing. This information is called a “notification” for reporting purposes. Section 31 enables the Chief Executive Officer to make enquiries as considered reasonably necessary for the purpose of determining whether action should be taken to safeguard or promote the child’s wellbeing. All notifications should be recorded and assessed using the Interaction Tool. There are three possible outcomes from a notification; no further action, referral to another agency, progress to an initial inquiry. This information is held on individual case files and, as such, it would impose a significant administrative burden on Communities to source this data.
(c) Not applicable.
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.