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Parliament passes child protection legislation a year after Chloe Valentine coronial inquest findings

CHANGES to better protect children from drug-addicted parents have finally passed Parliament — but Family First says the new laws are not tough enough.

Coroner Mark Johns recommendations in the case of Chloe Valentine

FAMILIES SA workers would be required to test parents suspected of abusing drugs or alcohol and putting their children at risk, under a proposal to be put to Parliament by the Family First party.

MPs yesterday finally passed laws that will better protect children — a year after recommendations made by a coronial inquest into the death of Chloe Valentine, 4.

They tighten the rules on drug-testing parents of at-risk children.

However, Family First MP Robert Brokenshire said they did not go far enough.

The new laws were held up by a disagreement between the Liberals and Labor over how strict the drug-testing regime should be.

A compromise allowed passage of the Children’s Protection (Implementation of Coroner’s Recommendations) Amendment Bill late yesterday.

The new laws will require the chief executive of Families SA to order a drug assessment of any parent suspected of putting a child at risk by abusing drugs — be it illicit substances, prescription medications or alcohol — unless they have had a recent one.

It is expected to lead to a significant rise in the number of tests. There have been 620-plus so far this financial year.

Mr Brokenshire wants Families SA to test any parent suspected of putting a child at risk through drug abuse, and stricter custody measures.

In order to regain custody of their child, those parents would have to undergo drug diversion treatment programs and commit to ongoing drug testing to prove they remained drug-free.

“(This) is what we need to do if we’re really serious,” he said.

Four-year-old Chloe died in the care of her mother and her mother’s then-partner in 2012.
Four-year-old Chloe died in the care of her mother and her mother’s then-partner in 2012.

Four-year-old Chloe died in the care of her mother and her mother’s then-partner in 2012, and had been the subject of more than 20 notifications to Families SA.

Chloe’s grandmother Belinda Valentine supported Mr Brokenshire’s proposal.

“(A parent) can be clean for a little while, a stress comes up and they’re not anymore — we need to put safety procedures in place,” she said.

Ms Valentine also suggested that more parents who tested positive to substance abuse should be put on income management to ensure they spent their money on essentials, not drugs.

She said the passing of the legislation was “a good step forward” but said it would only help if the new powers were “actually acted upon”.

“We had laws in place when Chloe died that should have saved her but they weren’t acted on,” she said.

“We understand that the wheels of progress can take time but a year in the life of a traumatised child is a long time.

“Children have to be our highest priority.”

Ms Valentine said she would continue to push for action on another of the coronial recommendations — that all social workers be officially registered.

Health Minister Jack Snelling raised that issue at a recent national meeting of health ministers.

The new laws will also enable authorities to remove a child at birth from a parent convicted of murder, manslaughter, causing serious harm or acts endangering life.

They include a definition of cumulative harm to children, which must be considered by people assessing the risk to a child.

A new section requires that child protection matters be “dealt with expeditiously, with due regard to the degree of urgency of each particular case”.

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Original URL: https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/parliament-to-pass-childrens-protection-legislation-following-from-chloe-valentine-coronial-inquest-findings/news-story/d26ccb09543e8408a265d415591eae9e