South Australia Government accepts 19 of 21 recommendations stemming from Chloe Valentine coronial inquest

FAMILIES SA boss Tony Harrison has refused to resign and insists he is the man to fix the child protection system.

FAMILIES SA boss Tony Harrison insists he is the man to fix the child protection system but still won’t reveal if any staff involved in Chloe Valentine’s case have been disciplined.

Mr Harrison responded publicly for the first time yesterday to coronial findings that his agency is broken and needs a complete overhaul, saying he had not considered resigning.

The State Government has accepted 19 of 21 recommendations by State Coroner Mark Johns to improve the child protection system, but will wait to make changes to adoption laws and rules about transporting children in state care without supervision.

Mr Harrison said he had “no intention of stepping down” as Education and Child Development Department chief executive and was ‘absolutely committed to the reform process”.

“We missed opportunities in relation to Chloe Valentine,” he said. “There’s no doubt we can do things better. We need to do things better.”

Mr Harrison again refused to confirm if any staff involved in Chloe’s case had been disciplined or promoted, instead saying he needed time to “consider whether any further action needs to be taken”.

He said his department had already made changes, developing a training program on proper note-taking and putting more focus on early intervention with at-risk families.

Mr Harrison drew criticism from Mr Johns for conceding that his department was not complying with an obligation to apply for drug assessments in cases where he suspected children were at risk because of illicit drug use by parents.

However, yesterday he said Families SA did apply for such assessments but through a different section of the Children’s Protection Act.

Mr Harrison said a majority of the hundreds of those applications made each year were drug-related.

He will write to the Coroner to correct the record.

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Child Protection Reform Minister John Rau flagged a raft of new legislation to be drafted and brought to Parliament later in the year.

This would include changes to the Child Protection Act to enable authorities to remove a child, at birth, from the care of a parent who has been convicted of manslaughter or murder — one of the Coroner’s most controversial recommendations.

Mr Rau also said there needed to be clearer separation of Families SA’s dual roles of supporting families and protecting children, with clearer consideration of the welfare of the child.

He released a cabinet-endorsed statement noting “the tension between the function of family support and child protection, particularly when administered by a single management structure”.

“This case has highlighted failings in the system and there are changes that must occur,” Mr Rau said.

“It is clear that some of these recommendations can be acted upon immediately, however others that involve legislative change or Federal Government involvement will take more time.”

Education and Child Development Minister Susan Close will conduct a review of the child abuse notification and reporting system, addressing criticism raised during the inquest, and report to cabinet on how it can be improved.

She will also “immediately issue directives” to Families SA staff about the quality and consistency of case notes, information sharing between agencies and a reminder to use all the policy and legal “tools” available to social workers to “manage” families.

Opposition Leader Steven Marshall, who had called for Mr Harrison to resign, said he “needs to make it clear whether he has complied with the law”.

“He can’t just decide which laws to accept,” he said.

He said it was disappointing that the Government did not commit to separating Families SA from the broader Education and Child Development Department.

He also called on the Government to appoint one dedicated Child Protection Minister, instead of splitting the responsibilities between Mr Rau and Dr Close.

“They’re trying to convince us that they’re taking it seriously without changing the arrangements,” Mr Marshall said.

Family First MLC Rob Brokenshire urged the Government to reconsider its decision to put its response to two of the 21 recommendations on hold.

The Government will not make changes to enable more permanent adoptions until a review of the Adoption Act and a Royal Commission inquiry into the child protection system are complete.

It also will not guarantee that no child in state care will be transported, as Chloe Valentine was, without the supervision of a Families SA worker, arguing there are “broader practical considerations around the use of volunteers and other staff” to cover such transportation.

“The implementation of these recommendations are a matter of urgency,” Mr Brokenshire said.

“The government can’t afford to wait and sit on its hands.”

Responding to Mr Johns’ recommendations, the Government has promised to:

IMMEDIATELY change its policy so that income management can be involuntarily applied to families in the Playford Council area;

WRITE to the Commonwealth Government about expanding forced income management to other areas of SA;

RE-EVALUATE the allocation of resources for Families SA;

CHANGE policy so that Families SA staff do not close files which are still being case managed;

OFFER domestic violence counselling in cases where it is a risk factor for families;

PREPARE a report on establishing a registration scheme for social workers;

PROHIBIT social workers with less than 12 months’ experience from dealing with clients without direct supervision by a superior; and

ISSUE a direction to all Families SA staff this week that they do not need to gain the permission of a child’s parent or guardian before questioning them.