Abusive parents can be forced into alcohol, drug tests if children are at risk under new changes

THE state’s child protection boss will be able to compel abusive or neglectful parents to submit to drug or alcohol testing if their child is feared to be at risk.

THE state’s child protection boss will be able to compel abusive or neglectful parents to submit to drug or alcohol testing if their child is feared to be at risk.

The State Government had initially decided to leave the power to require drug and alcohol tests to a court but has now agreed to beef up the powers of the Child Protection Department chief executive.

The new powers are in line with a recommendation by Royal Commissioner Margaret Nyland that the child protection authority be able to issue a written direction requiring parents to submit to a test if a child is believed to be at risk because of their substance abuse.

The recommendation was not included in the first version of the Government’s new child protection legislation put to Parliament early last month.

However, Child Protection Reform Minister John Rau has now told The Advertiser that he will introduce amendments to the Government’s Bill to give the chief executive more power.

“Given the seriousness of the decision to impose drug and alcohol testing on a parent, a decision was made that a court should order that testing, not the chief executive of the department,” Mr Rau said.

“Consistent with our undertaking to further consider the Bill, the Government will now include amendments to give the chief executive the power to also order drug and alcohol testing.”

Opposition child protection spokeswoman Rachel Sanderson said: “Given the scourge of ice use, it beggars belief that the Labor Government would have ignored this recommendation of the Nyland Royal Commission requiring parents to be drug tested”.