Premier Malinauskas says replacing DCP head Cathy Taylor ‘won’t be easy’

The premier has begun the challenging process of replacing outgoing child protection head Cathy Taylor, with the embattled executive to stay in the role until the position is filled.

Premier Peter Malinauskas has thanked the outgoing Department for Child Protection (DCP) head Cathy Taylor for her service in the role as he begins the process of finding her replacement.

Mr Malinauskas praised Ms Taylor, who plans to leave her post as DCP head on April 28 as the hunt starts for a new chief executive of the department.

“Cathy Taylor is fundamentally a good person and she’s got an extraordinary responsibility of one of the most complex jobs in the state,” Mr Malinauskas said ABC radio Adelaide on Monday.

“She’s applied her efforts as best as she possibly can.”

The process of finding her replacement was already underway.

“We are immediately executing, in fact the process has already started, to recruit the best and the brightest that we possibly can for the position,” Mr Malinauskas said.

“I should mention that won’t necessarily be easy.”

The outgoing Chief Executive of The SA Department of Child Protection Cathy Taylor. Picture NCA NewsWire / Emma Brasier

The Premier defended the decision to keep Ms Taylor in the position until the end of April.

“On balance, it’s better to have Ms Taylor continue in that role for the remaining few weeks.”

The DCP head’s departure represents an opportunity for the government to institute change within the department Mr Malinauskas said.

“Her resignation of course does present a really big opportunity for my government to refresh the leadership of the Department of Child Protection.”

Now the government faces a race against time to find an adequate replacement before the deadline they have set.

“I think it will be ambitious to find a replacement and have them in the role by the end of April,” Mr Malinauskas said.

Ms Taylor has overseen the state’s under pressure child protection system since she was appointed by the previous Labor government in October 2016.

The Advertiser’s Save Our Kids campaign exclusively revealed almost 60 children who were known to the department have died in the past four years.

The campaign, launched in August, has been calling on the state government to deliver on five elements, including appointing a new Department for Child Protection (DCP) chief executive.

Ms Taylor is paid about $383,000 a year.

Asked in November if she should keep her job, Mr Malinauskas said: “I’ve got high expectations of my senior executive team, Ms Taylor included. I will continue to monitor performance of our chief executives very closely.”

In a statement released Friday, Ms Taylor said her time in the role “has been one of the most rewarding periods of my career”.