Page 2783 - Week 09 - Thursday, 26 August 1993
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In light of these new policy directions, a major restructure of the ACT substitute care services occurred, in consultation with community agencies involved in service delivery to children. This involved the closure of several residential programs and the establishment of several programs to provide home based foster care services. This restructure resulted in the ACT being able to more adequately meet the needs of children. It was also a much more efficient and effective model of service delivery.
ACT government funds support four residential services, six foster care programs and three family support programs. Together, the residential and foster care services provide over 140 places. The family support programs can assist over 145 children and their families at any one time. Between them, the branch programs and the non-government organisations provide a range of placements that enable the diverse needs of the at-risk children of the ACT, who are of all ages, from infants through to adolescents, to be met.
There are in total five non-government organisations that are funded by the Family Services Branch to provide these substitute care services. Galilee operates a foster care program, known as the family placement scheme, for 10 adolescents. Richmond Fellowship operates Outreach House, a residential service for six 14- to 18-year-olds with behavioural difficulties. They also offer a family support program.
Marymead Children's Centre provides both a residential service for six young people aged six to 17 and an emergency shelter for another six young people of the same age range. They also operate a foster care program providing long-term care for 14 young people of similar ages to those in their other programs. Finally, they also provide a family support program. The Open Family Foundation provides 12 foster care places for adolescents aged 13 to 16, as well as operating the residential service of CANA. Barnardo's, as we have heard, operates both the RAFT program and the special family care, providing 12 and six places respectively. In addition, Barnardo's operates a family support program which also provides respite foster care and emergency placements.
The ACT Government is committed to this policy of family based support and care of children. It also has the full support of the range of agencies involved with children and young people who may be at risk. This funding commitment demonstrates that the ACT Government is providing a broad range of services which are up to the minute in child protection practice. We have reduced our residential care places to a minimum and redirected these funds into well-supported foster care, supported at rates of payment equivalent to those of the other States and Territories as outlined.
Mr Cornwell: Rubbish! Irrelevant.
MS ELLIS: It is not rubbish; it is true. We should not necessarily be venturing into more expensive types of care for the sake of it.
The MPI today relates to foster carers in the ACT. However, Mr Cornwell has targeted specifically Barnardo's and the RAFT program. There is no problem with that, but we need to keep this discussion in context. In no way does this debate reflect on the quality of services that Barnardo's have provided in the ACT. The organisation not only is involved in the substitute care field, but also
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