Child abuse at centre of $10 million funding announcement by SA Government
IMPROVING the skills of call centre staff taking reports of suspected child abuse or neglect will be a key aim of $10 million in training programs pledged by the State Government.
- More than 14,000 calls to child abuse hotline go unanswered
- Families SA hires more staff for child abuse hotline
- Royal Commission into child protection finds a system in ‘disarray’
IMPROVING the skills of call centre staff taking reports of suspected child abuse or neglect will be a key aim of $10 million in training programs pledged by the State Government.
The funding is part of the Government’s $432 million response to the Nyland Royal Commission, which recommended a complete overhaul of the state’s child protection system.
At a forum involving hundreds of Child Protection Department workers at the Adelaide Convention Centre on Wednesday, Education and Child Development Minister Susan Close announced $10 million would be spent on staff training and professional development.
It will cover topics including investigating abuse, intervening early when concerns are raised, caring for children in state-run homes and making decisions about removing children from biological parents.
Other funding will go towards establishing a dedicated learning and professional development unit within the department, as recommended by Royal Commissioner Margaret Nyland.
The Government has been under mounting pressure to improve the performance of the Child Abuse Report Line call centre.
It has recorded long wait times to reach a social worker by phone and thousands of calls go unanswered each year.
Latest data published by the department shows the average wait time has reduced from more than an hour to about 32 minutes at the end of last month, although the wait time has varied widely over the past six months.
Ms Nyland made a series of recommendations to improve the process of reporting child abuse, including bolstering the skills of those taking the calls.
Dr Close said part of the $10 million would be directly invested in the professional development of call centre workers.
“The State Government is ensuring staff are supported and their expertise is strengthened,” she said.
“These measures will complement our increased focus on early intervention and other measures aimed at giving a stronger voice and stronger supports to all children and young people, including the establishment of the Commissioner for Children and Young People.
“We know we must continue to deliver a new, stronger child protection system to benefit those children and young people who need our support.”
Opposition child protection spokeswoman Rachel Sanderson said extra training was “obviously absolutely essential” to the workforce.
“But it begs the question as to what Labor have been doing during the 15 years they have been running SA,” she said.
“A professional, well trained workforce is the foundation of an effective child protection system.
“Little wonder child protection is in crisis in South Australia.”