Page 1277 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 11 May 2021
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Systemic reform takes time, and the frustration felt by community members through this process is understandable, particularly when we are talking about something as vital as improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families. This is the reason I have committed to provide an update on progress against each of the Our Booris, Our Way recommendations every six months. Just as important, this report also provides information on what will be done in the following six months. This helps keep the government accountable to our commitments and provides the community with an opportunity to see the ongoing change that will lead to better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. This first six-monthly update reports on activities and outcomes from July to December 2020.
I take this opportunity to thank the Our Booris, Our Way Implementation Oversight Committee. Since being established in June 2020 the committee has worked closely with the government to monitor and drive these much-needed reforms, providing a valuable cultural lens to this process. The committee is instrumental in making sure that government understands and addresses the original intent of the Our Booris, Our Way recommendations and that we are accountable to the community for our commitments.
As shown by the key activities over the next six months and the case studies, the active efforts across the Community Services Directorate to implement the recommendations from the Our Booris, Our Way Review are not occurring in isolation. The directorate is acutely aware of the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in the statutory child protection system. Child and Youth Protection Services continue to identify better ways of working in order to respond to the issues, drive change in this area and to understand the reasons for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people entering care. Included in the service delivery response is the development of strategies to reduce the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people entering care, improve their experience and outcomes while in care and, where appropriate, exit children from care through restorations.
The six-monthly progress report on A Step Up For Our Kids has been presented to the Legislative Assembly since April 2018, with the last snapshot report tabled during the December 2020 sitting week. In considering the snapshot report it is important to note that the data is internal operational data that can be updated and changed between reporting periods, and caution should be exercised when using and interpreting data in this report in comparing between reporting periods.
Another caveat I would like to identify with regard to the snapshot report before I move on to the data itself is related to the transition to the new record management system known as the Child and Youth Record Information System or CYRIS on 1 October 2019. The transition to CYRIS provided Child and Youth Protection Services with an opportunity to review and expand the carer data collected in order to gain further insight into carer approvals and demographics.
The process to approve and renew carers is complex, and the review identified that new measures were required to provide better reporting on what occurs in day-to-day
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