Page 3564 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 18 September 2019
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I support the motion that Mrs Kikkert and Mrs Dunne have brought forward, and I also support the minor but important amendments put forward by Minister Stephen-Smith. I must say I was particularly pleased to see item (1)(f), which commits her to ensuring that the submissions provided to the review currently underway will be in a central location in the public domain, because they have not been easy to find.
I also support the extension of the report-back date, because I know that the review has been delayed and, by then, the government will be in a better position to outline how the voices of children and young people have been included in the consultation process. By then we should also have a better idea of where the government is headed in terms of external review mechanisms for care and protection decisions, as per recommendation 12 of the Glanfield report.
I can understand why Mrs Kikkert wants reassurance along the way about how the voices of children and young people are being included, and I thank the minister for providing some of that information to us today. Glanfield stated:
In a context where life changing decisions are being made based on human judgement, in circumstances where errors can never be entirely eliminated, review of decisions and quality assurance arrangements can play an important role.
I could not agree more. There needs to be transparency in decisions made by CYPS. They need to be clearly articulated and decisions need to be able to be reviewed.
I am sure that we are in agreement that decision-making, quality assurance and oversight of child and youth protection services in the ACT are important aspects of ensuring that we are doing the best for children and young people who are the responsibility of the territory. Equally, I am sure we are all in agreement that decisions must always be made in the best interests of the child.
As I have engaged with key stakeholders about the issue of including the voice of children and young people in the review of child protection decisions that is currently underway, what is clear is that submissions already submitted to the review are including the voices of children and young people that have already been documented.
I have been somewhat concerned by the fact that many young people—many people—tell me they have been consulted to death. Of course, not really to death; that is not quite what I should say. The point is that children and young people have been repeatedly consulted through various avenues, including through the Children and Young People Commissioner and other researchers over the years, and the most important thing now is that we listen and take action.
I have been reassured by the fact that there are ample existing consultations and reports, both locally and nationally, that can inform the review, and that many of the views that this review may elicit directly from children and young people will be views that we have already heard.
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