Page229 - Week 01 - Thursday, 3 December 2020

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Alexander Maconochie Centre—children residing onsite
(Question No 38)

Mrs Kikkert asked the Minister for Corrections, upon notice, on 4 December 2020:

(1) In relation to children in the Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC) and standard 8.4 and 60.1 in the ACT Standards for Adult Correctional Services, are there any parents with children staying with them in the AMC.

(2) Are there any dedicated accommodation types for parents with children with them.

(3) What is the minimum and maximum age for a child to be allowed to stay with their parents at the AMC.

(4) Are fathers allowed to have their children stay with them at the AMC.

(5) Are parents with children staying with them afforded any additional privileges or rights.

(6) How many children have been accommodated with a parent in the AMC since the opening of the AMC.

(7) How many of these children end up separated from their parent and taken into Child and Youth Protection Services.

(8) How many of these children have since been reunited with their parent.

(9) What support are parents in this situation being given to be reunited with their children.

(10) Is there a minimum or maximum age limit for children being accommodated in the AMC.

(11) According to standard 60.1 in the ACT Standards for Adult Correctional Services, children under two years of age can reside with their primary caregiver in the correctional centre if it is in the best interest of the child to do so; once the child turns two, are they then removed from their primary caregiver; if so, what is the process for this.

(12) What input does the mother have during this process.

Mr Gentleman: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:

I have been advised by the Justice and Community Safety Directorate that the information sought is not in an easily retrievable form, and that to collect relevant information to assemble responses would require a considerable diversion of resources.

In this instance, it is inappropriate to divert resources from other priority activities for the purposes of answering the Member’s questions. I do however offer the member a verbal briefing with relevant officials to discuss the questions asked.


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