Page 2128 - Week 07 - Thursday, 4 June 2015
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All services provided to vulnerable children will be care and protection purposes under legislation. This will include foster care services, residential care services, kinship care services as well as placement prevention services, supported contact services, reunification services, the advocacy service for birth parents, and mother and baby support services.
Through this amendment the territory could suspend an organisation’s approval for one or more of the purposes for which the organisation is approved. This could also mean that the organisation’s approval for one or more purpose be suspended while they retain approval for one or more other purposes. For example, an organisation could be suspended from providing residential care services whilst retaining approval for a placement prevention service.
When an organisation’s approval is suspended, the organisation has no legal or contractual authority to continue to provide the service or to make any decisions relating to service users of the suspended service. If the director-general has a daily care responsibility for children and young people in the service, the director-general will make alternative arrangements for the children and young people.
If the child or young person’s parents have parental responsibility for them, the director-general will work in partnership with the parents and, with their consent, make alternative arrangements for the child or young person.
MADAM SPEAKER: Could I just put a pin in that for a moment? There is some discussion that we voted something down that we did not intend to, because Ms Lawder’s amendment No 6 and Mr Gentleman’s amendment No 7 are the same. I think I said the noes have it, and that may not be the case. But what we will do is at the end of the consideration of clause 8 we will resubmit that question so we know what we are doing.
Amendment agreed to.
MS LAWDER (Brindabella) (5.58): I move amendment No 7 circulated in my name [see schedule 7 at page 2146].
This relates to new section 352P(3)(a), which gives an organisation issued with a safety suspension notice the opportunity to make an oral or written submission in response to that suspension notice. Giving an organisation the opportunity to make a submission will I believe assist in better decision-making.
MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella—Minister for Planning, Minister for Roads and Parking, Minister for Workplace Safety and Industrial Relations, Minister for Children and Young People and Minister for Ageing) (5.59): The government does not agree to this amendment. In government amendment 9 it has been added that an organisation may make a written submission to the director-general about the suspension of a care and protection purpose. The government is of the opinion that if a situation is serious enough to warrant an immediate suspension of a service, the seriousness of the situation warrants a written response from the organisation. An oral submission would not be sufficient in these circumstances.
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