Page 1239 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 11 May 2021
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
The 2015-16 budget allocated funding to commence the development of the new case management IT system known as CYRIS, with further investments over subsequent budgets. The first and second phases of this project have been implemented and have resulted in significant improvements in how staff can access information and link information across different family units. As this project continues, we will be able to realise improved information sharing between CYPS and the Education Directorate, police and our funded community providers that deliver out of home care services, as well as with carers and children and young people.
The investment in out of home care services has been significant with the implementation of the Step Up for Our Kids Out of Home Care Strategy. The 2017-18 budget committed an additional $33.7 million over four years for delivery of out of home care services, with a further $39.8 million committed in the 2019-20 budget. The Step Up for Our Kids strategy has been transformational in driving down the number of children and young people entering care, and in lifting expectations for the outcomes experienced by children and young people who are unable to live safely with their biological family. We are now considering the impact of the first step up strategy as we embark on a process of redesigning and maturing the system through the second iteration of the strategy.
The government has also invested funding to ensure there is improved capacity to share information across the service system and to support the implementation of the reportable conduct team, a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
In the 2019-20 budget review, a further $2.8 million over four years was committed to strengthen the oversight and delivery of services to vulnerable children and young people and their families by providing ongoing staff and resources for the practice and performance function in CYPS, specifically to support workforce development and training and operational policy to ensure CYPS can continue to develop and mature its service response.
Work is underway to improve internal decision-making processes within CYPS in response to feedback about what needs to change to improve the consistency and transparency of decision-making. Underpinning the implementation of an internal review process will be a program of practice development to strengthen decision-making practice with a focus on restorative principles, documentation, collaboration and relationship management.
The ACT government is also undertaking work with the ACT Human Rights Commission to develop an external merits review model for child protection decisions in the ACT. This is driven by a community expectation and government understanding that external merits review should be available for more child protection decisions.
As the President of the ACT Human Rights Commission recently noted in an interview on ABC radio, however, most decisions made by CYPS staff are the right decisions, made in a complex environment. Child protection workers are skilled and
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video