Child Protection in Australia: Challenges, Reforms and the National Framework for Protecting Australia

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Child Protection in AustraliaChallenges,
Reforms and the National Framework for
Protecting Australias Children

• Dr Leah Bromfield
• National Child Protection Clearinghouse

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National Child Protection Clearinghouse

• The Clearinghouse provides a range of services to
  policy makers, practitioners, carers and the
  community
• Publications (hard copy and electronic)
• Conference papers, workshops and seminars
• Research Help-desk for information advice
• childprotect email discussion list
• Library collection (online catalogue)
• Website
• The Clearinghouse also undertakes new research
• To find out more or to join go to
• http//www.aifs.gov.au/nch/about.html

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www.aifs.gov.au/nch
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Overview

• Child Protection in Australia
• Challenges
• How did we get here?
• Responding to the challenges
• National Framework for Protecting Australias
  Children
• Australian Qualifications Framework
• State and territory led reform

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• What are the challenges?

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The national context

• In 2007-08, there were 317,526 reports to
  statutory child protection services nationally
• Approx. three times the number of reports
  received 10-years ago (103,302)
• Of these, 55,120 were substantiated
• Emotional abuse (includes witnessing DV) and
  neglect most commonly substantiated maltreatment
  types
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
  over-represented on all child protection
  indicators

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2009
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Key challenges for enhancing the protection of
children in Australia

• Demand for statutory services
• Building prevention services (esp. for families
  in need)
• Enhancing and monitoring practice consistency and
  quality
• Reforming policy and practice frameworks and
  implementing reforms
• Recruitment and retention of a skilled workforce
• Implementing and enhancing culturally appropriate
  interventions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
  Islander children and their families, and
  services to assist preventing their
  over-representation in statutory care and
  protection services

Bromfield Holzer, 2008
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Key challenges for enhancing the protection of
children in Australia

• Provision of a quality out-of-home care service
• Breaking down silos (b/w dept., NGOs,
  practitioners)
• Families with multiple complex problems (esp.
  parental substance abuse, DV, mental health and
  chronic re-entry)
• Provision of the necessary tools for staff to
  perform their respective roles (e.g. information
  systems)
• Community education (i.e. managing community
  expectations of CP dept., CP is everyones
  responsibility)

Bromfield Holzer, 2008
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• How did we get here?

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Critical events in the evolution of child
protection services

• Late 1800 early 1900s Child rescue movement
• 1940s Start of professionalisation of child
  welfare
• 1962 Battered child syndrome discovered
• 1970s Legislation to protect children in all
  Australian jurisdictions
• 1970s First mandatory reporting requirements
• 1980s Sexual abuse recognised on world stage
• 1990s Neglect re-discovered
• 1990s Emotional abuse starting to be recognised
• 2000s Witnessing family violence

Bromfield Holzer, 2008
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Changing community perceptions

• Rising awareness within the community about child
  maltreatment
• Shift in social values elevating standards of
  parenting
• Broadened concept of where childhood starts and
  ends
• Privileging of expert over family and community
  in preventing and responding to child abuse
  neglect
• Child protection primarily responsibility of one
  government department

Bromfield Holzer, 2008
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Science and social work

• Science and technology in practice risk
  assessment tools, computers
• Implication that abuse and neglect can be
  reliably predicted
• Criticism if wrong decision made
• e.g., media attention regarding child deaths
• Risk management approaches evident

Bromfield Holzer, 2008
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Reviews of the service system

• Reviews tended to focus on how the department
  was performing
• Recommendations for service improvement
• increased training
• increased procedures/documentation
• Recommendations for enhancing detection tended to
  result in net widening (screen in more cases)

Bromfield Holzer, 2008
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Child protection and families in need

• High numbers of notifications
• Large administrative burden for processing these
• Total reports comprise relatively small number of
  children who need a child protection response
• Majority of families reported are in need and
  likely to be re-referred if no preventive action
  is taken

Bromfield Holzer, 2008
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Public health model versus expenditure
Bromfield Holzer, 2008
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The role of child protection

• With a wide net, left with the fundamental
  question What is the role of child protection
  services?
• Originally set up to provide a crisis response
• Crisis response not working for families in
  need
• Still need forensic and court responses

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• Responding to the challenges

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National Framework for Protecting Australias
Children

• What is it?
• The role of the national framework is to enable a
  more integrated response across governments and
  non-government organisations to ensure that
  Australian children can live in safe and caring
  environments
• Why do we need it?
• Child abuse and neglect is a significant national
  problem
• The Australian Government has proposed a national
  framework for protecting children because the
  safety of children is a responsibility for all
  levels of government and for all Australians
• National leadership is required for this
  important policy area

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National Framework for Protecting Australias
Children

• How did it come about?
• In response to recommendations from the Senate
  Inquiry Forgotten Australians
• FaHCSIA coordinated a forum
• Meeting of 75 reps from Cth, state territory
  governments, NGOs, advocacy groups and key
  academics in Melbourne, June 2006
• MC Brian Babbington, CEO Families Australia
• Participant groundswell - not another talkfest
• Support for forum to lead to National Child
  Protection Framework

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National Framework for Protecting Australias
Children

• At close of forum, small working group nominated
  to develop ideas generated from the forum into a
  draft discussion paper
• Titled Towards a National Child Protection
  Strategy for Australia (August, 2007)
• Six key action areas included
• Primary services
• Secondary services
• Tertiary services
• Indigenous issues
• National standards
• Research, evaluation, dissemination and service
  data

www.familiesaustralia.org.au/publications/pubs/cps
draft.pdf
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National Framework for Protecting Australias
Children

• Coalition of Organisations Committed to the
  Safety and Wellbeing of Australias Children
  established in November 2007
• To work with governments (Commonwealth and
  State/Territory) to develop the national child
  protection framework
• Coalition represents majority of organisations
  providing services, peak bodies and many key
  researchers in the area
• Families Australia Secretariat for Coalition

www.familiesaustralia.org.au/publications/pubs/coa
litionoverview.pdf
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National Framework for Protecting Australias
Children

• Government election commitment to lead
  development of a National Framework
• Towards this aim, FaHCSIA released discussion
  paper Australias Children Safe and Well (June,
  2008)
• Key areas for consideration identified in the
  discussion paper were
• Stronger prevention focus
• Better collaboration between services
• Improving responses for children in care and
  leaving care
• Improving responses for Indigenous children
• Attracting and retaining the right workforce
• Improving child protection systems

www.fahcsia.gov.au/family/child_protection_discuss
ion_paper/p1.htm
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National Framework for Protecting Australias
Children

• To date there has been broad consultation across
  the sector in relation to both
• the Australian Children Safe and Well discussion
  paper and
• the content of the Framework
• The National Framework for Protecting Australias
  Children will be considered at the next COAG
  meeting
• Anticipate implementation to immediately follow

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• Other Australian reforms

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Australian Qualifications Framework

• What is it?
• unified system of national qualifications in
  schools, vocational education and training and
  higher education sector
• Review of Community Services Training Package,
  aim to
• continue to equip workers
• enhance mobility
• reflect current and emerging needs of the
  Community Services Industry

www.aqf.edu.au/
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Australian Qualifications Framework

• Previously, range of separate qualifications
• E.g., Certificate IV in Community Services
  (Protective Care) Diploma of Statutory Child
  Protection
• Following review
• Child, Youth and Family Intervention stream
• Within the stream can specialise in
• Family support
• Child protection
• Protective care (i.e., home-based or residential
  care)
• Range of qualifications from Cert III - Grad Cert

www.cshisc.com.au/index.php?optioncom_contenttas
kviewid60Itemid152limit1limitstart1
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• State and territory-led reform

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A time of reform

• Significant reform agendas have been or are being
  implemented across Australia
• National Approach for Child Protection Project
• found that between 2002-2006 every jurisdiction
  embarked on a substantial reform agenda
• reforms to practice frameworks
• new legislation
• dedicated child protection department
• Further substantial reform agendas since 2006

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Why change? Drivers for reform

• Dated legislative and practice frameworks
• (e.g., WA legislation from 1940s)
• Self-initiated research and review
• (e.g., Victoria killer statistic)
• External inquiries
• (e.g., Queensland CMC Inquiry)

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Approaches to reform

• Broadly, two types of reform planned vs.
  responsive reform
• Responsive more likely than planned to
• occur in the public/media spotlight
• be implemented quickly
• Media scrutiny may influence reform direction or
  pace
• May be a combination of planned responsive
  reform (e.g., WA)

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Characteristics of reform

• Governments taking a lateral approach to reform
• Reviewing the structure of the whole service
  system (not a single department)
• Role of government
• Way in which services (primary, secondary
  tertiary) are delivered
• Broad approach to review and reform reflects
  holistic approach to identifying key challenges
  for child welfare in Australia

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Strategic directions in service provision and
policy reforms

• Broadly, state and territory departments were
  directing reform to those areas identified as key
  challenges
• Multiple strategies were being implemented to
  address critical challenges
• Reflecting the focus on joined-up solutions for
  joined-up problems
• Strategies and directions were generally
  inter-related and
• Individual strategies targeted several different
  key challenges

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Strategic directions in service provision and
policy reforms

• Major reforms under six themes
• An integrated service system
• Quality services
• Practice principles
• Providing an Indigenous response
• Quality out-of-home care
• Evidence-informed policy and practice

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Looking to the future

• Challenges remain, not easy, no quick fix
• Data indicate some hope
• In 07-08, smallest increase in notifications in
  10 years
• A decrease in substantiations for the first time
  on record
• As a nation appears there is some shared vision
  on broad direction for future
• Jurisdictions at varying points in the reform
  process
• Hope that National Framework for Protecting
  Australias Children will provide overarching
  conceptual guidance to help us work together to
  meet these challenges

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National Child Protection Clearinghouse

• Australian Institute of Family Studies
• Level 20, 485 La Trobe St, Melbourne VIC 3000
• Ph 03 9214 7888
• Fax [phone]
• www.aifs.gov.au/nch
• ncpc_at_aifs.gov.au