Page 4301 - Week 12 - Thursday, 24 October 2019
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available. The current headline measures in the snapshot report include the number of children and young people entering care in that quarter; the number of children and young people exiting care; and comparison of the number of children being case managed by ACT Together and child and youth protection services to monitor service capacity and indicate the number of children on short-term orders versus long-term orders; the type of placements children are in at that time and the number of children in each placement type; the number of enduring parental responsibility orders and adoptions completed; the number of newly approved carers and the number of carers exiting; and the number of children and young people supported through prevention programs not entering care within six and 12 months of support commencing.
It is important to note that the data is internal operational data that can be updated and changed between reporting periods, and caution should be exercised when using and interpreting data in this report and comparing between reporting periods.
Madam Speaker, reform takes time. A step up for our kids aims to create generational change, to break cycles of intergenerational harm, and to improve long-term outcomes for families, children and young people. A key focus of the strategy has been the investment in intensive parenting and family preservation supports. The data presented in this snapshot report shows that we are seeing some positive progress in this area.
This snapshot report highlights the following. There has been a slowdown in new entries into care. Service demand continues to increase, but at a lower rate in 2018-19 than in 2017-18 and 2016-17. From July 2018 to June 2019, 122 children and young people entered the out of home care system, compared to 155 in 2017-18 and 196 in 2016-17.
As reported previously, this reduction in demand is also reflected in the lower number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people entering care. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people represented 20 per cent of those entering care in 2018-19. This compares with 32 per cent of entries into care in 2017-18 and 30 per cent in 2016-17. What this means in terms of numbers is that 25 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people entered care in 2018-19, and this compares with 50 in 2017-18 and 59 in 2016-17. As we are talking about small numbers over a limited period of time, it is appropriate to be cautious about this data. However, this data does indicate some promising signs of progress on the challenge and imperative of reducing the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in out of home care.
We are also starting to see an increase in the number of children and young people supported through prevention services. From July 2018 to June 2019, 85 children and young people received a prevention service, compared to 79 in 2017-18. Among them, 74 children and young people, 87 per cent, did not enter care within 12 months of support commencing. This compares with 59 children and young people, 75 per cent, in 2017-18.
The number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people engaged with prevention services and not entering care within 12 months of support
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