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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 01 Hansard (Thursday, 12 February 2004) . . Page.. 315 ..

government is in this matter. It is for this reason that I welcome the opportunity to speak to this matter of public importance.

Child protection is not something for which there is a government quick fix. To assert that as part of a public debate would be plain wrong. The government is not the only party involved in this matter. Society has high regard for and values the integrity of loving families. It sets a high standard for the role of government in relation to families, particularly parental relationships.

Families and parenting remain a focus for improving education on the nature of abuse and neglect in the community on the part of government at all levels and also community groups. This reflects the complexity of the issue, but it also indicates that the issue at large plays an essential role in many areas of child protection. Professionals, such as nurses, doctors, counsellors, childcare professionals and teachers, also play a role in the reporting of abuse and in raising awareness of child protection matters.

The relationship between government, families, stakeholders and community groups requires constant attention and improvement. It requires education campaigns and action from government. Despite all these attempts at greater integration and co-operation, it is not possible to say that children anywhere will always be safe. We have to recognise both the sorrow and the truth of the matter.

With this in mind, I will now turn to some of the intricacies of the way Family Services in the ACT address reports made to them regarding child abuse and the way the child protection system works in the territory. I do this to inform the Assembly more fully in this debate, as it progresses, and to address some of the misinformation being spread in the community. The key terms I will seek to provide information on are “report”, “appraisal” and the category used by some, including the OCA, which is “unsafe”.

A case is opened with a report of abuse or neglect to Family Services. Sometimes this is on the basis of scant information; sometimes it is a report by a mandated reporter under the act. Reports to Family Services about child abuse do not fit a particular form. Sometimes they refer to individual, specific instances of abuse, sometimes emotional abuse or neglect and sometimes a combination of these features. It is the role of individual child protection workers and their team leaders and supervisors to interpret all information and act appropriately. This requires high-level skills and is often done in an environment of pressure.

Family Services must then decide whether to appraise the report it receives. If an appraisal is to be conducted, it is not to determine whether each or any of these allegations are true. It is to determine whether or not the child in question has been harmed or if there is a reasonable likelihood of harm in the future. This occurs for children in the community and children in the care of the territory. These appraisals then form the basis of the department response to the situation.

This action involves an evaluation of whether a child has been significantly harmed. For example, a report may allege that a child has been physically and sexually abused. An appraisal may be made that the young child was physically abused and yet was not significantly harmed by the abuse or that the child was sexually abused and suffered harm as a result. In this example the allegation of physical harm would not be

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