State Opposition fail to back early intervention and prevention for child safety

The Bligh Government's Helping Out Families initiative is one step closer after Queensland Parliament passed the Child Protection and Other Acts Amendment Bill 2010 this week.

Child Safety Minister Phil Reeves said it was amazing that, on the eve of Child Protection Week, the Liberal National Party refused to support reforms that would improve the protection of Queensland's most vulnerable children.

"The LNP has shown again that they have no policies and no direction when it comes to child protection," he said.

"The LNP keep saying they want more early intervention and prevention programs but won't support this legislation which is specifically aimed at early intervention and prevention.

"It simply highlights the hypocritical position taken by the LNP and that they do not offer any real alternative to government."

Mr Reeves said the amendments to the legislation had two main functions which will assist the Government in protecting Queensland's most vulnerable children and young people.

"Firstly, the legislation provides the legal foundation for our Helping Out Families initiative which aims to deliver the right type of service to vulnerable families as early as possible," he said.

"Helping Out Families will strengthen the capacity of non-government early intervention and family support.

"This will be achieved through the establishment of a lead Family Support Alliance organisation and a network of service providers in three pilot sites-Logan and Beenleigh-Eagleby in October 2010, and Gold Coast by 30 January 2011.

"Under the initiative, child safety service centres will refer a family, via their new regional intake service, to a Family Support Alliance organisation.

"To support this approach, referrals will be made from Child Safety Services to the Family Support Alliance organisation without requiring the family's consent.

"The legislation provides amendments to the Child Protection Act 1999 to allow this information to be provided and to ensure the referral information remains confidential.

"Community Services Minister Karen Struthersand I recently announced Lifeline Community Care in Logan and the Benevolent Society in Beenleigh would be funded to provide a Family Support Alliance and Intensive Family Support services to local families.

"Secondly, it allows the Child Protection Act to better respond to the needs of children and young people in the child protection system.

"This includes amending the paramount principle for administering the Act so the safety, wellbeing and best interests of a child are paramount, and inserts a framework of principles for decision makers to consider including matters important to a child's circumstances."

Other amendments include:
* Extend the definition of 'harm' to make it clear that harm can be the cumulative result of a number of incidents of abuse or neglect
* Making Family Group Meeting processes inadmissible in criminal proceedings without the agreement of the parties to the Family Group Meeting
* Clarifying the Court may make concurrent child protection orders if appropriate
* Allowing the department to enter into an assessment care agreement with only one parent of a child
* Extending the power of the Chief Executive to obtain criminal histories of parents of a child to their adult household members and adults against whom an allegation of harm to the child has been made
* Requiring the Childrens Court to consider certain parts of the framework and give reasons for its decisions.
* Clarifying the status of provisionally approved carers when a new spouse begins living with them
* Amending the definition of "member, of a person's household" to remove the frequency test and add a category of person who, because of the nature of their contact in the household with a child in need of protection, may create an unacceptable level of risk to the child
* Requiring the Childrens Court to consider the child's need for emotional security and stability when applying for revocation of long-term guardianship (currently the Court needs to be satisfied the order is no longer necessary to protect the child)

The policy positions underpinning these amendments were released in the policy paper Proposing amendments to the Child Protection Act 1999 in 2008.

Widespread consultation was undertaken and the high level of response from both government and non-government stakeholders shows the Queensland community's strong interest in protecting our children and young people.

Minister for Child Safety and Minister for Sport
The Honourable Phil Reeves
03/09/2010

Permanent Link: State Opposition fail to back early intervention and prevention for child safety
Publish Date: 03 Sep 10