Page 2889 - Week 08 - Thursday, 17 August 2017
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had the benefit of hindsight from those who had been undertaking similar work in other jurisdictions.
The case analysis team has two key objectives: the provision of independent analysis of individual cases at key decision-making points and the identification of good practice, practice concerns and knowledge gaps of staff. The team leader commenced in December 2016 and has since recruited two additional staff, with further recruitment processes underway. As at 16 August 2017 the team had undertaken 22 case analyses, and these have involved key community partners, including the uniting children and families program and ACT Together. Case analysis encourages caseworkers to think about the long-term, cumulative impact of abuse and neglect and ensures the voice of the child is at the centre of decision-making.
The analysis supports care teams to make informed decisions based on all available information. Case analysis explores the risks and vulnerabilities to children’s safety and provides an opportunity to consider whether there are sufficient protective factors to mitigate the risks and vulnerabilities. This significantly reduces the risk of workers relying only on intuitive skills or professional judgement alone.
The funding I referred to earlier also provided for the Community Services Directorate to establish an independent advisory body known as the child and youth protection quality assurance and improvement committee. The committee has been established by the Director-General of the Community Services Directorate to strengthen the quality of child protection policy and practice and to foster ongoing improvement of the child protection system.
Members will know that I recently announced a review into the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in the child protection system, including those in out of home care. This review is a significant expression of the government’s commitment to transparency in decision-making and our commitment to driving a culture of reflection and practice improvement to ensure better outcomes for children and young people. The child and youth protection quality assurance and improvement committee will be invaluable in assisting the ACT government in this review work.
Child and youth protection services have already been working to develop the cultural competence of the workforce and are delivering an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural development program for staff. The training aims to provide staff with the ability to develop and apply an understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures in order to improve practice, gain an understanding of protocols and processes used to collaborate in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, children and community services, understand the importance of establishing positive working relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, children and services, and identify and analyse legislation, policy and work practices relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
As at 16 May 2017, 66 child and youth protection services staff had completed the training, with an additional 22 staff commencing the training in July 2017. To further strengthen quality assurance, child and youth protection services has also undertaken
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