Page 2193 - Week 07 - Thursday, 27 August 2020
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
I move:
That the report be noted.
I would like to thank members for the opportunity to speak on the Standing Committee on Health, Ageing and Community Services’ final report on the committee’s inquiry into child and youth protection services, part 1.
Sadly, the matter of the subject of part 1 of the committee’s inquiry into child and youth protection services involved the removal of five children from the care of their mother. In that context, the committee was asked by the Assembly to analyse the 2008 court of appeal decision related to this specific case, to identify potential systemic issues that may need to be addressed, and to report these to the Assembly.
The committee presented an interim report on part 1 of the inquiry in March 2020. In the interim report, the committee set out, firstly, the overarching and inquiry-specific authorities and guiding principles that the committee needed to be cognisant of in managing this inquiry. The committee restated these principles in its final report, as they are integral to how it determined to progress this inquiry. Secondly, the committee set out how it would transition from the specific case to a broad public interest mandate in its systemic analysis of the court of appeal decision. Thirdly, it set out that its systemic analysis of the court of appeal decision would focus on two elements: matters relating to (1) the legislative framework for protecting and safeguarding children, legislation and related policies; and (2) the implementation and administration of the legislative framework, structures, systems and individual practice. Fourthly, it set out a detailed analysis of potential systemic issues that it considered may need to be addressed, along with 10 recommendations.
After receipt of outstanding information that was not available at the time, the committee presented its interim report. The final report today concludes the committee’s consideration of the matter referred to it by the Assembly. The committee thanks the minister and the directorate officials for making this information available and for meeting with it, in camera, to discuss the information.
After reviewing and considering the outstanding information, the committee is of the view that the interim report sets out a detailed and thorough examination of the extent to which the specific case might raise systemic issues.
In considering the systemic issues set out in its interim report, in its final report, the committee emphasises three concepts related to the implementation and administration of the legislative framework for protecting and safeguarding children. These are: matters related to decisions to recommence care proceedings; the concept of cumulative harm in child protection and the importance of defining, identifying, assessing and understanding this critical systemic concept; and reports to the public advocate under section 507 of the Children and Young People Act 2008.
The committee also reported on part 2 of its inquiry into child and youth protection services, examining information sharing under the Children and Young People Act 2008 on 30 July 2020. In that report, the committee made 44 recommendations,
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video