Families SA’s call centre under pressure as reports of suspected abuse grow

AN operator in Families SA’s call centre has revealed it is struggling to cope as mandatory notifiers report “any tiny little thing” for fear of missing a case of child abuse.

AN operator in Families SA’s call centre has revealed it is struggling to cope as mandatory notifiers report “any tiny little thing” for fear of missing a case of child abuse.

The operator estimates up to 70 per cent of calls to the hotline do not indicate abuse or neglect, but the time taken to assess the calls means workers cannot get to more serious cases.

Child Protection Reform Minister John Rau said the Government must examine “why the system might be clogged with excessive numbers of reports”.

Mr Rau has raised with Justice Margaret Nyland, who is conducting a Royal Commission into the state’s child protection system, whether reforms are needed to the mandatory reporting rules, a push supported by the Opposition.

Justice Nyland’s recommendations are not expected until early next year.

Certain people who work with children, such as teachers, police and doctors, are required to report any reasonable suspicion that a child has been, or may be, abused or neglected.

There were 52,800-plus calls to the Child Abuse Report Line in 2013-14. That figure is expected to grow to about 60,000 this financial year.

Mr Rau conceded the system was “groaning under its own weight”.

He said one factor could be people reporting “every little thing for fear of later being criticised for having not reported”.

“I’m sure the majority of reports are made on the basis that someone has a genuine concern, but if there are reports being made on the basis of personal risk minimisation, and those reports are artificially pumping up the volume in the system, that’s something we need to look at,” he said.

In a transcript of a conversation between a female operator in Families SA’s call centre and Liberal MP David Pisoni — released to Mr Pisoni following a Freedom of Information request — the operator says the 2013 Debelle inquiry into sexual abuse in schools prompted a culture of “report(ing) absolutely everything ... any tiny little thing”.

“So then the line gets clogged ... and 70 per cent of those calls are unnecessary,” the operator told Mr Pisoni during the phone call in April.

“But they won’t change their policy because they feel under the hammer.”

Mr Pisoni said the department must better manage resources to properly staff the hotline.

“The fact that this public servant was so open with me told me of the sense of desperation that the (they) have in trying to be heard,” he said.

There are 74 full-time staff in the call centre, up from 67 in 2012-13.

Families SA chief Etienne Scheepers said extra social workers were rostered during peak times.

A new online reporting system now processes about 43 per cent of all notifications.

Department staff, including teachers, undertake a day of training, renewed every three years, which “sets out clearly” when a notification should be made, Mr Scheepers said.

The training advises first raising concerns with senior school staff, to ensure reports are not duplicated.