Page 4206 - Week 13 - Thursday, 27 November 2014
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MR GENTLEMAN: I thank Ms Porter for her question. The ACT Children and Young People Death Review Committee was established in 2011 as an independent, multi-sectoral committee under the Children and Young People Act 2008, with its first members appointed in January 2012. The committee is currently very ably chaired by Dr Penny Gregory, who is assisted by 12 other members of the committee. Committee membership includes representation from ACT government directorates, ACT Policing and non-government community agencies.
It is important that the function and work of the committee is clearly understood. The committee has a number of functions, which include establishing an ACT register of deaths of children and young people, identifying any patterns or trends in relation to the deaths of children and young people in the ACT, identifying what may be learnt from the circumstances of a child or young person’s death and, lastly, determining the scope of any research that would be valuable in this area.
Having set out the function of the committee, it would be useful to highlight what the committee does not do. The committee does not, and was never intended to, have a role around apportioning blame for the death of a child or young person by identifying any particular areas of underperformance. The committee is able to make recommendations about legislation, policies, practices and services for implementation by both government and non-government bodies, with the aim of preventing or reducing the number of deaths of children and young people in the ACT and improving services. As I have previously highlighted, this has included producing informative and helpful fact sheets on matters such as unsafe sleeping practices for babies and co-sleeping. The committee has also highlighted the potential dangers posed to young children by window blind cords.
I am sure that anyone who has taken the time to read the 2013-14 annual report will agree that the committee and its secretariat have been extremely professional and diligent in presenting some complex data and commentary about a very difficult, confronting and extremely upsetting area of work. The ACT Children and Young People Death Review Committee have a very important role to play in helping the whole community to learn from the tragic events associated with the death of a child or young person, and I thank them for their work.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Ms Porter.
MS PORTER: Minister, why is it important to be cautious about using data presented in the report?
MR GENTLEMAN: Let me be very clear about the difficult subject matter that we are talking about here. It would be inappropriate for me to respond to that question without first wishing to acknowledge the distress that parents, friends and relatives experience following the death of any child or young person. With that distress in mind, it is particularly important that the tragedy of losing a child should not be used as an opportunity to draw incorrect conclusions that these were preventable deaths. It is insensitive and insulting for families who have lost a child.
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