❓ The WA parliamentary question seeks detailed vacancy data for child protection roles within the Department of Communities, both in metropolitan and regional areas, from December 2022 to August 2023. The answer acknowledges workforce challenges and outlines initiatives to attract and retain staff.
AnsweredQoN 1668Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
(1) For each of the Department of Communities Child protection offices in Metropolitan Perth, please provide to the end of each month, or nearest reporting date, between December 2022 and August 2023: (a) the vacancy data, in FTE and as a percentage of total allocation, for all roles; and (b) the vacancy data, in FTE and as a percentage of total allocation, for case carrying roles? (2) For each of the Department of Communities Child protection offices in regional Western Australia, please provide to the end of each month, or nearest reporting date, between December 2022 and August 2023: (a) the vacancy data, in FTE and as a percentage of total allocation, for all roles; and (b) the vacancy data, in FTE and as a percentage of total allocation, for case carrying roles?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
28 November 2023
Responded by
Minister for Agriculture and Food representing the Minister for Child Protection
Response time
12 days
Please refer to Table [ ].
The Department of Communities advises the child protection FTE has increased since 2017. Workforce challenges in the Child Protection profession are experienced across Australia, with workforce a national priority area in Safe and Supported; The National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children (2021-2031). Communities is also progressing a range of initiatives to attract and retain staff. These include $3.7 million to attract child protection workers to targeted regional locations, under the Commissioner’s Instruction 38 – Temporary Regional Attraction and Retention Incentive (RARI) scheme; and recruitment strategies including targeted recruitment campaigns, social work placements and regional talent registers.
The Department of Communities advises the child protection FTE has increased since 2017. Workforce challenges in the Child Protection profession are experienced across Australia, with workforce a national priority area in Safe and Supported; The National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children (2021-2031). Communities is also progressing a range of initiatives to attract and retain staff. These include $3.7 million to attract child protection workers to targeted regional locations, under the Commissioner’s Instruction 38 – Temporary Regional Attraction and Retention Incentive (RARI) scheme; and recruitment strategies including targeted recruitment campaigns, social work placements and regional talent registers.
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.