Wednesday, 8 February 2023

Responses

Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers, Minister for Child Protection and Family Services) (17:50): First of all, Ms Bath raised a matter for me as Minister for Child Protection in relation to mental health and support for children and young people in out-of-home care. I am pleased to take that adjournment matter now, and in doing so I want to thank the commissioner for children and young people for the important work that she does in ensuring that the most vulnerable of children and young people have the services and supports that they need to live happy, healthy and fulfilling lives and to ensure that we do our best to support them both while they are in the child protection system and through the child protection system. I was pleased to meet with the commissioner before Christmas and to set up regular meetings with the commissioner. As I said to her at the time, I value very highly the work that she and her team do in that important role, and I informed her that she had my full commitment and support for that role in ensuring that we make sure that vulnerable children are well and truly safeguarded, that we protect them and that we ensure that they get the services that they need.

As I said I think in my ministers statement this morning, the family services that our child protection workers provide – and I pay tribute to our child protection workers; they do an amazing job on the front line of what must be some of the most difficult scenarios in which to work – and the role that they do through family services particularly for children in out-of-home care are key. I spoke to the holistic nature of some of those services and in particular the way in which those workers use the programs that we have – programs like Keep Embracing Your Success and others – to ensure that children in out-of-home care get the services and supports that they need, whether they be mental health supports or other therapeutic supports. There is of course always more to do, and whilst kinship care is certainly the fastest growing aspect of out-of-home care, there are certainly those children who are in other care arrangements, including residential care, and there is the work of the commission in ensuring that those kids and young people get the supports that they need, particularly in relation to mental health and in particular in relation to, as Ms Bath raised, Indigenous children and young people and young girls. It is absolutely crucial that that work is done and that we ensure that those supports are there to assist those children.

We know that there is more to do. Sadly, there is always more to do in this space. But the commissioner for children and young people has my full support for her role in that process, and as the new minister with responsibility for these matters I look forward to working with her on those.

Ms Crozier and Ms Lovell raised matters for the Minister for Health, and I will ask that the Minister for Health consider those. Mrs McArthur raised a matter for the Minister for Police, and I will pass that on. Dr Bach raised a matter for the Minister for Education and I will pass that on, but I note that he referred to his team doing some thorough research. I hope that they also considered that it was a Liberal government that abolished the education maintenance allowance and put some confusion into the system in relation to a textbook allowance. I hope that that also featured in their research, but I will pass that matter on.

Ms Heath raised a matter also for the Minister for Education, Ms Watt raised a matter for the Minister for the State Electricity Commission and Mr Davis raised a matter for the Minister for Planning, and I will pass those matters on for their due consideration.

The PRESIDENT: The house stands adjourned until 9:30 tomorrow.

House adjourned 5:54 pm.