❓ WA parliamentary question regarding the use of emergency accommodation (hotels/motels) for children in state care and the supervision and qualifications of those caring for them.
AnsweredQoN 829Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
CHILD PROTECTION — REGISTERED CARERS
829. Hon COLIN de GRUSSA to the Leader of the House representing the
Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to question without notice
852 asked in October 2021 by Hon Nick Goiran and an article in The Sydney
Morning Herald on 31 August 2022 relating to the Victorian state government
using hotels and motels to house vulnerable children, known as ''contingency
placements''.
(1) As at 20 September, how many Western
Australian children in state care currently reside in —
(a) hotels or motels;
(b) serviced apartments; and
(c) state government–owned
properties?
(2) Are these children supervised by
departmental staff; and, if yes, is this 24/7 supervision?
(3) What is the longest continuous amount of time that
a child in state care has been kept in such accommodation?
(4) Is the
minister aware of any instance in which a worker who is not a registered carer
has been left with no other option but to take a child home or to look after
them in a hotel or in similar accommodation?
829. Hon COLIN de GRUSSA to the Leader of the House representing the
Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to question without notice
852 asked in October 2021 by Hon Nick Goiran and an article in The Sydney
Morning Herald on 31 August 2022 relating to the Victorian state government
using hotels and motels to house vulnerable children, known as ''contingency
placements''.
(1) As at 20 September, how many Western
Australian children in state care currently reside in —
(a) hotels or motels;
(b) serviced apartments; and
(c) state government–owned
properties?
(2) Are these children supervised by
departmental staff; and, if yes, is this 24/7 supervision?
(3) What is the longest continuous amount of time that
a child in state care has been kept in such accommodation?
(4) Is the
minister aware of any instance in which a worker who is not a registered carer
has been left with no other option but to take a child home or to look after
them in a hotel or in similar accommodation?
AnswerView source ↗
On behalf of the Leader of the House,
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. The following
answer is provided on behalf of the Minister for Child Protection.
(1)–(3)
The accommodation referred to in the question is considered emergency
accommodation arrangements, not care arrangements by the Department of
Communities. Details on the matters that lead to such emergency accommodation arrangements are recorded in individual case
notes on each case file; t herefore, the number of children in these
arrangements and the details of these arrangements are not readily available
from the Department of Communities client information system. There are rare
occasions when children in the chief executive officer's care and their
carers may require emergency accommodation at a hotel or other type of
short-term accommodation for reasons including when children and their carers
need to travel to a location for medical treatment or to maintain connection
with family; property damage at the carer's home; or another unforeseen
crisis.
Supervision is dependent on the type
of emergency accommodation arrangement and may be provided by a family carer,
carer or Department of Communities worker. When a child is brought into the CEO's
care in an urgent situation, particularly after hours, a hotel or other
short-stay accommodation may be used to enable the child to remain with a suitable
family member or carer in a safe environment until stable accommodation is
arranged.
(4) All child protection workers who take children
home are screened to work with vulnerable children via t he Department of Communities screening processes and
in addition to holding a working with children check.
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. The following
answer is provided on behalf of the Minister for Child Protection.
(1)–(3)
The accommodation referred to in the question is considered emergency
accommodation arrangements, not care arrangements by the Department of
Communities. Details on the matters that lead to such emergency accommodation arrangements are recorded in individual case
notes on each case file; t herefore, the number of children in these
arrangements and the details of these arrangements are not readily available
from the Department of Communities client information system. There are rare
occasions when children in the chief executive officer's care and their
carers may require emergency accommodation at a hotel or other type of
short-term accommodation for reasons including when children and their carers
need to travel to a location for medical treatment or to maintain connection
with family; property damage at the carer's home; or another unforeseen
crisis.
Supervision is dependent on the type
of emergency accommodation arrangement and may be provided by a family carer,
carer or Department of Communities worker. When a child is brought into the CEO's
care in an urgent situation, particularly after hours, a hotel or other
short-stay accommodation may be used to enable the child to remain with a suitable
family member or carer in a safe environment until stable accommodation is
arranged.
(4) All child protection workers who take children
home are screened to work with vulnerable children via t he Department of Communities screening processes and
in addition to holding a working with children check.
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