Page 4207 - Week 13 - Thursday, 27 November 2014
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That is why I was particularly disappointed to read Ms Lawder’s media release yesterday. In her release, Ms Lawder stated that the report was particularly disturbing because the ACT is not improving in preventing the deaths of children known to authorities. Let me state here and now that Ms Lawder’s claim is incorrect. If she had taken the time to read the report before offering her commentary, Ms Lawder would have noted the following. On page 15 of the report, the committee chair says:
It is important to sound a note of caution about drawing conclusions from this data … about the quality of service delivery provided by Care and Protection …
Furthermore, the report goes on to say:
A more detailed review into the deaths of these individual children and young people would need to occur before any conclusions could be made.
It looks to me as if Ms Lawder jumped to those conclusions, incorrect as they are, and ignored and disregarded the note of caution expressed in the annual report by the committee chair.
Not content with drawing incorrect conclusions, Ms Lawder went on to say that 30 out of 109 deaths between 2009 and 2014 were of children and young people either in the care of or known to Community Services. This was incorrect again. For the sake of clarity, let me say that 15 children and young people died—(Time expired.)
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary, Ms Berry.
MS BERRY: Minister, can you inform the Assembly of the broader work your directorate is undertaking in relation to care and protection?
MADAM SPEAKER: Could I just go back and clarify? This is a question about the child death review committee, but your question, Ms Berry, seemed to be about the operation of the care and protection system more widely, or is it in relation to child deaths?
MS BERRY: It refers to the first question, Madam Speaker.
MADAM SPEAKER: I do not think your question did. I thought it was just about the care and protection system.
MS BERRY: Mr Gentleman, I believe, referred to the work of care and protection in his answer. So my question is asking him to expand on that.
MADAM SPEAKER: To expand in relation to the child death review committee?
MS BERRY: Yes.
MADAM SPEAKER: Fine; thank you.
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