SA Best MLC Connie Bonaros slams ‘unacceptable’ wait time for people calling Child Abuse Report Line

A huge wait time to report suspected child abuse has emerged amid surging pressure on the system as MPs prepare for a showdown in parliament over new child safety laws.

A nurse at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital waited two hours to report suspected abuse to the child protection hotline, before having to hang up and try again another day.

The wait has been labelled “unconscionable” by SA Best politician Connie Bonaros, who says too many nurses, doctors and teachers are being put in the same position because of surging pressure on the system.

Last financial year the Child Abuse Report Line (CARL) fielded more than 63,600 calls, but 11,860 went unanswered.

SA laws require mandatory reporters, like nurses, to inform authorities when they suspect a child is at risk of physical, sexual or emotional abuse or neglect.

Ms Bonaros said she was contacted by a nurse who had to “wait two hours to get through to the hotline to raise concerns about a child who has presented to the WCH, only to find themselves having to call back on their next shift because their call went unanswered”.

“It simply beggars belief. As if they aren’t busy enough caring for our kids,” she said.

SA Best MLC Connie Bonaros has raised concerns about long wait times to make a child abuse report. Picture: Matt Loxton

She flagged that mandatory reporters were also being given conflicting directions about what they could report to the CARL or to a written reporting system known as e-CARL.

Current laws say any report of risk can be made through either channel, but Ms Bonaros said Department for Child Protection (DCP) guidelines, and its website, say e-CARL is for non-urgent reports only and “all serious concerns must be reported” through the phone line.

DCP received 55,500 e-CARL reports last financial year, in addition to 63,600 calls.

Despite more than 11,800 calls going unanswered in 2023-24, the department says staff answered about 1400 more calls than the previous year as demand continually rises.

It says about half of callers who hang up do so within five minutes, in many cases after hearing a recorded message stating they can make an e-CARL report.

There are about 100 staff employed in the call centre and a call-back feature introduced in 2017 is offered to all callers.

There are about 100 staff employed in SA’s Child Abuse Report Line call centre. Picture: NCA NewsWIRE / Emma Brasier

The government says the current average wait time is 1 minutes and 59 seconds.

A government spokesman said call wait times were “influenced by demand and fluctuate depending on peak call times, school terms and the number of staff rostered”.

“Longer wait times can sometimes be experienced after hours if unusual call volume is experienced,” he said.

The case of the nurse who waited two hours has emerged as MPs are debating new child safety laws which would raise the threshold for what is serious enough to report to CARL, from “harm” to “significant harm”.

Child Protection Minister Katrine Hildyard is expected to face a censure motion in parliament. Picture: NewsWire / Roy VanDerVegt

Fiery debate on the proposed laws is expected to come to a head on Wednesday when One Nation’s Sarah Game will put forward a censure motion in parliament’s Upper House calling for Child Protection Minister Katrine Hildyard to resign.

Ms Hildyard has declared she will not compromise on a key point – keeping the “safety” of children as the top priority of the laws.

But opposition and crossbench MPs want to broaden this to the “best interests” of a child, which includes their emotional wellbeing and connection to family.

Ms Hildyard has attempted to get around this deadlock by issuing a US President Trump-style directive to DCP to move ahead with other changes which do not require a change of the law.

But she has confirmed that if parliament votes to shift the focus from safety to best interests the government will abandon the legislation altogether.

Originally published as SA Best MLC Connie Bonaros slams ‘unacceptable’ wait time for people calling Child Abuse Report Line