Page 246 - Week 01 - Thursday, 16 February 2006
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development; and enhancing training standards in the ACT for child protection staff mandated professionals, foster carers and the community as a whole.
Research produced by these institutions has yielded ways of further improving practice and has provided the office with policy and procedural models for best practice, case management, placement planning, child-centred practice decisions, and how we are undertaking our role in identifying young people at risk and looking at the regulatory framework which within child protection work is undertaken. Such work is critical to continuing the implementation of Vardon report recommendations and determining future service initiatives.
Almost all business units of the office have moved into one building. This has had a marked impact on productivity and is helping to create a new positive culture for the organisation. Significant progress continues to be made in implementing the reform program, which has been supported by the efforts of staff, non-government partners, colleagues across ACT government agencies and volunteer foster and kinship carers. The government acknowledges the level of commitment made by all parties to put in place and sustain improvements in the support of young children and young people in care in the ACT.
These reports meet my commitment to advise the Assembly, every six months through to 2005, of the progress in implementing Commissioner Vardon and Ms Gwenn Murray’s mid-2004 recommendations for reform of the ACT care and protection system. However, I will provide the Assembly with further advice about achievements against the reforms at a later time. In doing so I will focus on the way forward now that a significant start has been made in dealing with the issues that Ms Vardon and Ms Murray have laid out so clearly for us. I commend to the Assembly the third six-month status report on the implementation of The territory as parent and The territory’s children reports.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Papers
Ms Gallagher presented the following paper:
Occupational Health and Safety Act, pursuant to section 228—Operation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1989 and its associated law—Second quarterly report for the period 1 October to 31 December 2005.
Mr Hargreaves presented the following paper:
Australian Crime Commission—2004-05—Annual report, dated 20 October 2005.
Mr Corbell presented the following paper:
Petition—out of order
Child care and day care centres—establishment of 40 km speed limits—Mr Hargreaves (1,265 signatures).
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