Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE - 2016-05-24
Child abuse and neglect remain challenging issues, not only for the Department of Children and Families but society as a whole. As a government, we invest heavily in the area of early intervention and prevention, but for some families this will not prevent the end result of children entering the child protection system, quite often until they are 18 years old. For these children, out-of-home care is their reality. Can the minister please outline the vision and investment from this Country Liberal government in out-of-home care?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I always struggle with this type of question because it highlights that there are children in our community who are being neglected, abused and sexually abused, often by their own families. It is a frustration to me that it continues. It is also a frustration to me that we continue to have to deal with these issues. If there was one department in the whole of government I would like to shut down for want of work, it would be this one. But the truth of it is we have to respond, and we do.
Since becoming the minister for child protection, one of the things I have been very anxious to do with the department is to return it to its core functions of protecting children and supporting the families that struggle with caring for their own children. That is precisely what we have done. When I became the minister for child protection, the department had lost its way because of things like the Board of Inquiry and trying to satisfy all the demands placed on it by recommendations, some of which were inherently self-contradictory when measured against other recommendations.
Returning the department to its core functions has meant we have been able to make the department far more effective in the work it does, and that is precisely what the result has been. Nevertheless, as part of this department’s function there is a much greater propensity to open a file than to close one. I understand why that occurs. We, as a government responding to a demand-driven environment, make sure the department is funded to do its job, which is why in today’s budget the Treasurer announced a further $10m per annum to cover the field so we are able to provide services to these children, particularly those in out-of-home care services.
I was able to convince my colleagues over a year ago to triple the budget for recruiting foster carers. My understanding is that those recruitment drives have been very successful. Those kids who do not end up in foster care homes end up in out-of-home care services. Some of them are very high-needs children. That demand means we, as a government, must respond, and we are proud to be responding effectively. That means $10m more in this budget and projected through the forward estimates. That is the necessary role we have.
We will not stand by and watch the neglected, abused and sexually abused children of this jurisdiction go unattended to. We will protect them in every way we possibly can, from today until the day they turn 18.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I always struggle with this type of question because it highlights that there are children in our community who are being neglected, abused and sexually abused, often by their own families. It is a frustration to me that it continues. It is also a frustration to me that we continue to have to deal with these issues. If there was one department in the whole of government I would like to shut down for want of work, it would be this one. But the truth of it is we have to respond, and we do.
Since becoming the minister for child protection, one of the things I have been very anxious to do with the department is to return it to its core functions of protecting children and supporting the families that struggle with caring for their own children. That is precisely what we have done. When I became the minister for child protection, the department had lost its way because of things like the Board of Inquiry and trying to satisfy all the demands placed on it by recommendations, some of which were inherently self-contradictory when measured against other recommendations.
Returning the department to its core functions has meant we have been able to make the department far more effective in the work it does, and that is precisely what the result has been. Nevertheless, as part of this department’s function there is a much greater propensity to open a file than to close one. I understand why that occurs. We, as a government responding to a demand-driven environment, make sure the department is funded to do its job, which is why in today’s budget the Treasurer announced a further $10m per annum to cover the field so we are able to provide services to these children, particularly those in out-of-home care services.
I was able to convince my colleagues over a year ago to triple the budget for recruiting foster carers. My understanding is that those recruitment drives have been very successful. Those kids who do not end up in foster care homes end up in out-of-home care services. Some of them are very high-needs children. That demand means we, as a government, must respond, and we are proud to be responding effectively. That means $10m more in this budget and projected through the forward estimates. That is the necessary role we have.
We will not stand by and watch the neglected, abused and sexually abused children of this jurisdiction go unattended to. We will protect them in every way we possibly can, from today until the day they turn 18.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016