Child Protection Minister Katrine Hildyard refusing to ‘compromise’ on child safety laws

A fiery debate over whether a child’s physical safety, or their broader wellbeing, should be the top priority will come to a head in parliament today.

Child Protection Minister Katrine Hildyard is refusing to “compromise” on new laws by bowing to pressure to shift the focus away from the safety of children.

MPs are set to debate the contentious laws – which cover everyone from children at risk of harm in their homes to those already in state care – on Thursday afternoon.

The laws will set new guidelines for social workers who are making decisions about vulnerable families, including whether to remove a child from their parents.

The government wants the top priority to be ensuring children “are safe and protected from harm”, but has faced pressure to broaden this to the “best interests” of a child.

This would include the desires of the child, their social and emotional wellbeing and the benefits of remaining connected with family.

Child Protection Minister Katrine Hildyard wants safety to be the top priority for new child protection laws. Photo: Mark Brake/Getty Images

However, Ms Hildyard has declared that she will “not back away at all” from keeping safety as the top priority.

“That is the right thing to do,” she told The Advertiser.

“When workers face heartbreaking, almost unimaginable situations, they need utter clarity that a child’s safety is their paramount consideration.

“I’m not going to resile from this position.”

The issue will come to a head in state parliament on Thursday afternoon, as Greens, SA Best, One Nation and independent MPs have flagged they want the wording changed.

It follows an inquiry by a parliamentary committee and strong feedback from two children’s commissioners, the guardian for children in care and other legal and welfare organisations.

They argue the focus on safety has led to a risk-averse system in which child protection workers can overreact, and more children had been taken into care.

Ms Hildyard has called on Opposition MPs to “front up and say whether they will also back in children’s safety”.

When asked by The Advertiser, Opposition child protection spokeswoman Laura Henderson did not directly state whether the Liberal Party would support maintaining safety as the top priority in the new laws.

She said it was “abundantly clear that the sector largely disagrees” with that position and was pushing for a broader definition of the best interests of a child.

“If this is what the sector is calling for, the government should listen,” Ms Henderson said.

“What is important to note is that best interests include a child or young person’s safety as one of the core rights that should guide all assessments of best interests.”

Originally published as Child Protection Minister Katrine Hildyard refusing to ‘compromise’ on child safety laws