Review recommends changes for WA child protection legislation

Child Protection Minister Simone McGurk has today tabled the statutory review of the Children and Community Services Act 2004 in State Parliament.

The review was undertaken on behalf of the Minister by a committee and a legal working group comprised of key stakeholders from government and the community services sector.

Following an extensive four-month period of community consultation, 37 submissions were received from a wide range of contributors.

The review makes 70 recommendations which include:

• Increasing independent oversight of out-of-home care;
• Improving outcomes for Aboriginal children, families and communities;
• Providing consistently higher standards of foster carers; and
• Promoting the priority delivery of cross government services to children and young people who are, or have been in care.  

The Government will now consider the merits of all the recommendations made.

Comments attributed to Child Protection Minister Simone McGurk:

"As Child Protection Minister, I am committed to ensuring a safe, supportive, and stable environment is provided to the State's most vulnerable children and young people.

"The Children and Community Services Act 2004 has worked well but following extensive consultation and review, certain areas have been identified where it can be strengthened.

"The recommendations in this report provide an opportunity to enhance the legislation and I look forward to working with the department, stakeholders, foster carers, and Aboriginal communities to discuss the next steps in improving outcomes for Western Australian children."