❓ A WA parliamentary question addresses after-hours child protection protocols in Broome following media reports of unanswered calls. The Minister acknowledges a protocol breach regarding a 10-year-old boy and mentions a prior incident in February.
AnsweredQoN 578Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
DEPARTMENT FOR CHILD PROTECTION — AFTER-HOURS CALLs TO BROOME OFFICE
I refer to media reports since last Thursday that after-hours calls for assistance from the Broome Department for Child Protection have gone unanswered. (1) What is the protocol in place to respond to after-hours requests from police or other agencies for assistance with unsupervised children needing emergency placement in Broome? (2) Have there been occasions recently when this protocol has not been followed; and, if so, what were the circumstances? Hon ROBYN McSWEENEY
I refer to media reports since last Thursday that after-hours calls for assistance from the Broome Department for Child Protection have gone unanswered. (1) What is the protocol in place to respond to after-hours requests from police or other agencies for assistance with unsupervised children needing emergency placement in Broome? (2) Have there been occasions recently when this protocol has not been followed; and, if so, what were the circumstances? Hon ROBYN McSWEENEY
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1)-(2) Assistance for children at risk is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by contacting the department’s crisis care unit based in Perth. Staff at the crisis care unit make an initial assessment based on the information provided at the time of contact and, should an immediate response be required after hours, each district has an emergency on-call officer to respond, or a local Department for Child Protection officer. The department provides emergency accommodation in its residential facility in Broome. Children requiring immediate protection in the Kimberley can be placed in Halls Creek and Kununurra. The 10-year-old Broome boy was in police custody on a court order. Consequently, the crisis care unit was not notified of his circumstances. However, this should have occurred at the earliest opportunity so that suitable accommodation and the necessary changes to his bail conditions could be arranged. Following his court appearance he was released into the care of a relative, juvenile justice and the police for transportation back to his remote community. The department understands there has been no further reoffending since the incident. I am informed by the department that the only incident this can be traced back to occurred in February.
(1) What is the protocol in place to respond to after-hours requests from police or other agencies for assistance with unsupervised children needing emergency placement in Broome? (2) Have there been occasions recently when this protocol has not been followed; and, if so, what were the circumstances? Hon ROBYN McSWEENEY replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1)-(2) Assistance for children at risk is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by contacting the department’s crisis care unit based in Perth. Staff at the crisis care unit make an initial assessment based on the information provided at the time of contact and, should an immediate response be required after hours, each district has an emergency on-call officer to respond, or a local Department for Child Protection officer. The department provides emergency accommodation in its residential facility in Broome. Children requiring immediate protection in the Kimberley can be placed in Halls Creek and Kununurra. The 10-year-old Broome boy was in police custody on a court order. Consequently, the crisis care unit was not notified of his circumstances. However, this should have occurred at the earliest opportunity so that suitable accommodation and the necessary changes to his bail conditions could be arranged. Following his court appearance he was released into the care of a relative, juvenile justice and the police for transportation back to his remote community. The department understands there has been no further reoffending since the incident. I am informed by the department that the only incident this can be traced back to occurred in February.
(2) Have there been occasions recently when this protocol has not been followed; and, if so, what were the circumstances? Hon ROBYN McSWEENEY replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1)-(2) Assistance for children at risk is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by contacting the department’s crisis care unit based in Perth. Staff at the crisis care unit make an initial assessment based on the information provided at the time of contact and, should an immediate response be required after hours, each district has an emergency on-call officer to respond, or a local Department for Child Protection officer. The department provides emergency accommodation in its residential facility in Broome. Children requiring immediate protection in the Kimberley can be placed in Halls Creek and Kununurra. The 10-year-old Broome boy was in police custody on a court order. Consequently, the crisis care unit was not notified of his circumstances. However, this should have occurred at the earliest opportunity so that suitable accommodation and the necessary changes to his bail conditions could be arranged. Following his court appearance he was released into the care of a relative, juvenile justice and the police for transportation back to his remote community. The department understands there has been no further reoffending since the incident. I am informed by the department that the only incident this can be traced back to occurred in February.
Hon ROBYN McSWEENEY replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1)-(2) Assistance for children at risk is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by contacting the department’s crisis care unit based in Perth. Staff at the crisis care unit make an initial assessment based on the information provided at the time of contact and, should an immediate response be required after hours, each district has an emergency on-call officer to respond, or a local Department for Child Protection officer. The department provides emergency accommodation in its residential facility in Broome. Children requiring immediate protection in the Kimberley can be placed in Halls Creek and Kununurra. The 10-year-old Broome boy was in police custody on a court order. Consequently, the crisis care unit was not notified of his circumstances. However, this should have occurred at the earliest opportunity so that suitable accommodation and the necessary changes to his bail conditions could be arranged. Following his court appearance he was released into the care of a relative, juvenile justice and the police for transportation back to his remote community. The department understands there has been no further reoffending since the incident. I am informed by the department that the only incident this can be traced back to occurred in February.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1)-(2) Assistance for children at risk is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by contacting the department’s crisis care unit based in Perth. Staff at the crisis care unit make an initial assessment based on the information provided at the time of contact and, should an immediate response be required after hours, each district has an emergency on-call officer to respond, or a local Department for Child Protection officer. The department provides emergency accommodation in its residential facility in Broome. Children requiring immediate protection in the Kimberley can be placed in Halls Creek and Kununurra. The 10-year-old Broome boy was in police custody on a court order. Consequently, the crisis care unit was not notified of his circumstances. However, this should have occurred at the earliest opportunity so that suitable accommodation and the necessary changes to his bail conditions could be arranged. Following his court appearance he was released into the care of a relative, juvenile justice and the police for transportation back to his remote community. The department understands there has been no further reoffending since the incident. I am informed by the department that the only incident this can be traced back to occurred in February.
(1)-(2) Assistance for children at risk is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by contacting the department’s crisis care unit based in Perth. Staff at the crisis care unit make an initial assessment based on the information provided at the time of contact and, should an immediate response be required after hours, each district has an emergency on-call officer to respond, or a local Department for Child Protection officer. The department provides emergency accommodation in its residential facility in Broome. Children requiring immediate protection in the Kimberley can be placed in Halls Creek and Kununurra. The 10-year-old Broome boy was in police custody on a court order. Consequently, the crisis care unit was not notified of his circumstances. However, this should have occurred at the earliest opportunity so that suitable accommodation and the necessary changes to his bail conditions could be arranged. Following his court appearance he was released into the care of a relative, juvenile justice and the police for transportation back to his remote community. The department understands there has been no further reoffending since the incident. I am informed by the department that the only incident this can be traced back to occurred in February.
(1) What is the protocol in place to respond to after-hours requests from police or other agencies for assistance with unsupervised children needing emergency placement in Broome? (2) Have there been occasions recently when this protocol has not been followed; and, if so, what were the circumstances? Hon ROBYN McSWEENEY replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1)-(2) Assistance for children at risk is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by contacting the department’s crisis care unit based in Perth. Staff at the crisis care unit make an initial assessment based on the information provided at the time of contact and, should an immediate response be required after hours, each district has an emergency on-call officer to respond, or a local Department for Child Protection officer. The department provides emergency accommodation in its residential facility in Broome. Children requiring immediate protection in the Kimberley can be placed in Halls Creek and Kununurra. The 10-year-old Broome boy was in police custody on a court order. Consequently, the crisis care unit was not notified of his circumstances. However, this should have occurred at the earliest opportunity so that suitable accommodation and the necessary changes to his bail conditions could be arranged. Following his court appearance he was released into the care of a relative, juvenile justice and the police for transportation back to his remote community. The department understands there has been no further reoffending since the incident. I am informed by the department that the only incident this can be traced back to occurred in February.
(2) Have there been occasions recently when this protocol has not been followed; and, if so, what were the circumstances? Hon ROBYN McSWEENEY replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1)-(2) Assistance for children at risk is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by contacting the department’s crisis care unit based in Perth. Staff at the crisis care unit make an initial assessment based on the information provided at the time of contact and, should an immediate response be required after hours, each district has an emergency on-call officer to respond, or a local Department for Child Protection officer. The department provides emergency accommodation in its residential facility in Broome. Children requiring immediate protection in the Kimberley can be placed in Halls Creek and Kununurra. The 10-year-old Broome boy was in police custody on a court order. Consequently, the crisis care unit was not notified of his circumstances. However, this should have occurred at the earliest opportunity so that suitable accommodation and the necessary changes to his bail conditions could be arranged. Following his court appearance he was released into the care of a relative, juvenile justice and the police for transportation back to his remote community. The department understands there has been no further reoffending since the incident. I am informed by the department that the only incident this can be traced back to occurred in February.
Hon ROBYN McSWEENEY replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1)-(2) Assistance for children at risk is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by contacting the department’s crisis care unit based in Perth. Staff at the crisis care unit make an initial assessment based on the information provided at the time of contact and, should an immediate response be required after hours, each district has an emergency on-call officer to respond, or a local Department for Child Protection officer. The department provides emergency accommodation in its residential facility in Broome. Children requiring immediate protection in the Kimberley can be placed in Halls Creek and Kununurra. The 10-year-old Broome boy was in police custody on a court order. Consequently, the crisis care unit was not notified of his circumstances. However, this should have occurred at the earliest opportunity so that suitable accommodation and the necessary changes to his bail conditions could be arranged. Following his court appearance he was released into the care of a relative, juvenile justice and the police for transportation back to his remote community. The department understands there has been no further reoffending since the incident. I am informed by the department that the only incident this can be traced back to occurred in February.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1)-(2) Assistance for children at risk is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by contacting the department’s crisis care unit based in Perth. Staff at the crisis care unit make an initial assessment based on the information provided at the time of contact and, should an immediate response be required after hours, each district has an emergency on-call officer to respond, or a local Department for Child Protection officer. The department provides emergency accommodation in its residential facility in Broome. Children requiring immediate protection in the Kimberley can be placed in Halls Creek and Kununurra. The 10-year-old Broome boy was in police custody on a court order. Consequently, the crisis care unit was not notified of his circumstances. However, this should have occurred at the earliest opportunity so that suitable accommodation and the necessary changes to his bail conditions could be arranged. Following his court appearance he was released into the care of a relative, juvenile justice and the police for transportation back to his remote community. The department understands there has been no further reoffending since the incident. I am informed by the department that the only incident this can be traced back to occurred in February.
(1)-(2) Assistance for children at risk is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by contacting the department’s crisis care unit based in Perth. Staff at the crisis care unit make an initial assessment based on the information provided at the time of contact and, should an immediate response be required after hours, each district has an emergency on-call officer to respond, or a local Department for Child Protection officer. The department provides emergency accommodation in its residential facility in Broome. Children requiring immediate protection in the Kimberley can be placed in Halls Creek and Kununurra. The 10-year-old Broome boy was in police custody on a court order. Consequently, the crisis care unit was not notified of his circumstances. However, this should have occurred at the earliest opportunity so that suitable accommodation and the necessary changes to his bail conditions could be arranged. Following his court appearance he was released into the care of a relative, juvenile justice and the police for transportation back to his remote community. The department understands there has been no further reoffending since the incident. I am informed by the department that the only incident this can be traced back to occurred in February.
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