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Specific priority initiatives were identified by the
Government's Response to the Gordon Inquiry and linked to four themes, or key
areas for intervention, and five 'enablers' in a Strategic Response Framework.
1. STRENGTHEN RESPONSES TO CHILD ABUSE
AND FAMILY VIOLENCE
The Government is committed to strengthening law enforcement, protection,
health and justice responses. To address this commitment the Government has
progressed implementation of the following key funded initiatives.
Remote Policing Services
The Government has identified priority sites for the implementation of remote
policing services and multi-function facilities over the next four years. The
focus is collaborative service delivery for Aboriginal communities. An
interagency steering committee has engaged and consulted extensively with the
first community of Warbuton in the Ngaanyatjarra or Central Lands. While
lessons learnt during this initial engagement process will be useful, it is
recognized that each community has unique needs and extensive consultation with
each individual community will be undertaken. In 2003/04 the Government will be
working to progress the consultation and implementation of similar services in
the communities of Balgo and Kalumburu.
The Western Australia Police Service is also progressing
ongoing interstate collaboration for multi-jurisdictional facilities in
conjunction with the Northern Territory and South Australia. The police
facility at Kintore (NT) is nearing completion and a WA police officer will
commence duty in early 2004. A decision to develop a police facility at
Warakurna has been reached and positive negotiations with the community have
commenced. See
WA map.
- as at 11 November 2003
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Child
Protection and Family Violence Officers
The WA Police Service has completed the
selection process for the appointment of 8 Child Protection and Family Violence
Officers to country districts who will work across police districts in
partnership with other service providers. These dedicated officers will provide
a consistent response to child protection and family violence issues across the
state. See
WA map.
- as at 11 November2003
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25 Child Protection Workers
The Department for Community
Development has advertised 25 Child Protection Worker positions and it is
expected that new staff will be in place within the next three months.
Consultation has taken place with the Aboriginal community, through
ATSIC Regional Councils, to determine the locations for these
positions. See
WA map.
15 Child Protection Workers will be located in regional
Western Australia in these communities.
| Broome |
Halls Creek |
Newman |
| Carnarvon |
Kununurra |
Norseman |
| Derby |
Laverton x 2 |
Port Hedland |
| Fitzroy Crossing |
Leonora |
Roebourne |
| Geraldton |
Meekatharra |
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10 new Child Protection Workers will be located in the
Perth Metropolitan are in these locations.
| Armadale |
Fremantle |
Princess Margaret Hospital x 4 |
| Rockingham |
Mandurah |
Midland |
Mirrabooka |
- as at 11 November 2003
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Strong Families
Program
The Strong Families Program brings together
caseworkers from various government departments and non-government agencies to
tackle the needs of high-risk families and youth. The program seeks to ensure
that the most effective casework is provided through a seamless, sensitive and
holistic service to the individual family. Expansion has occurred in Geraldton,
Kalgoorlie, Albany, Broome, Midland, Joondalup, Fremantle, Cannington,
Mandurah, Pt.Hedland, Bunbury and Northam. Officers will commence between
November and December.
- as at 11 November 2003
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Video Evidentiary Unit
The Video Evidentiary Unit will occupy premises in
Hay Street, Subiaco and will be staffed by specialist interviewers. Officers
from the Western Australia Police Service, the Department for Community
Development and the Princess Margaret Hospital Child Protection Unit will be
co-located to provide a comprehensive service to victims of child abuse in the
metropolitan area. Statewide application of the service will ensure that the
expertise within this Unit will also be accessible to officers in rural and
remote locations. Fit-out of the premises has commenced with anticipated
occupancy in January 2004.
- as at 11 November 2003
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Expansion of Victim Support and Child Witness Services
Consultation with Aboriginal communities has commenced to
progress the expansion of the Victim Support and Child Witness Services and
preparation has begun for addressing staffing issues. This includes the
expansion of services located at Kalgoorlie, Port Hedland and Broome in July
2003 and additional funds to facilitate services to remote communities to
provide community education and information to Indigenous communities. This is
supported by the appointment of an Aboriginal Child Witness Support Worker.
- as at 11 November 2003
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Community Supervision Agreements
As a result of the provision of additional resources to
communities to manage Community Supervision Agreements on behalf of the
Department of Justice, planning and preparation is underway for the employment
of 3 Community Supervision Agreement Officers, one each for the Kimberley,
Pilbara and Goldfields. These positions are expected to commence in January
2004.
- as at 11 November 2003
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Community based offender programs
As a result of the provision of additional resources to
communities to manage Community Supervision Agreements on behalf of the
Department of Justice, planning and preparation is underway for the employment
of 3 Community Supervision Agreement Officers, one each for the Kimberley,
Pilbara and Goldfields. The recruitment and selection process is underway and
these positions are expected to commence in January 2004.
- as at 11 November 2003
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Expansion of the Sexual Assault Resource Centre (SARC)
The Sexual Assault Resource Centre (SARC) services have been
expanded to Rockingham with plans underway for additional services in Fremantle
and Clarkson. SARC services are also planned in regional centres to improve
outreach for Aboriginal women and their families exposed to or at risk of
sexual abuse and assault. Expansion to Kalgoorlie, Geraldton, Mandurah, South
Hedland and Bunbury will commence in 2003/04.
- as at 11 November 2003
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Swan Valley Nyungah Community
Putting
People First described how the Government registered a new management
order over the Swan Valley Nyungah Community land. This new order was to make
sure the management of the reserve was in the best interests of the women and
children who lived there. Local service providers then made efforts to work
with the management group and the residents. Despite this, the Premier was
advised by Directors General that the risk to women and children at the
Community remained unacceptably high. Subsequently, legislation has passed
through Parliament and the Swan Valley Nyungah Community land is now to be
managed for the benefit of all Aboriginal people.
A short-term administrator was appointed who met with interest
groups and has provided a report on options for the future use of the land to
Government. This report is now being considered. The Government is also working
with families from the community, who no longer reside on that land, to meet
their needs.
- as at 11 November 2003
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2. STRENGTHEN RESPONSES TO VULNERABLE
CHILDREN AND ADULTS AT RISK
To address the need for increased support for children and adults at risk of
abuse and violence, the Government is currently developing and implementing the
following initiatives to address this commitment.
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The provision of 14 Aboriginal Support Workers throughout Western Australia.
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The preparation of culturally appropriate counseling and support services.
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Safe Places program
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Community education, protective behavior strategies, establishment of
rural/regional health centres.
The preparation of culturally appropriate counselling and
support services.
One-off funding of $200,000 has been allocated by the
Government for the development of of culturally appropriate counselling
services for Aboriginal clients. The funding is to develop, in consultation
with Aboriginal people, culturally appropriate post-abuse treatment services.
The provision of 14 Aboriginal Support Workers throughout
Western Australia.
To enhance the
accessibility of counseling and support services for vulnerable children and
youth exhibiting at-risk behaviour the Department for Community Development has
created 14 new Aboriginal Support Worker positions and expects new staff to
commence in November 2003. These positions will enhance the
accessibility of counselling and support services for vulnerable children and
young people exhibiting at-risk behaviour. The locations to receive
these workers were decided in consultation with Indigenous communities through
the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission Regional
Councils.
| Regional Western Australia - 9 Aboriginal Support
Worker positions |
Broome
Fitzroy Crossing
Kalgoorlie |
Katanning
Kununurra
Laverton / Warburton |
Marble Bar
Mt Magnet
Northam |
| Perth Metropolitan area - 5 Aboriginal Support
Worker positions |
Armadale
Mirrabooka |
Midland
Fremantle |
Kwinana / Rockingham |
Safe Places program
Development and identification of safe places/people with
communities, where Aboriginal children can go in the Metropolitan and Regional
areas.
Top
3. STRENGTHENING THE SAFETY OF
COMMUNITIES
Community Building and Security
Needs Program - Place Management Initiative
To facilitate community engagement and ensure effective
collaborative Government responses the Government has provided $6 million over
four years to use a place based approach, the Place Management Initiative with
these features:
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A focus on places and communities rather than the functions of individual
Government agencies
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A focus on outcomes for these places rather than the inputs and outputs of
individual Government agencies
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A shift in decision making and accountability to the local and community level.
This approach will combine a bottom up, community capacity
building approach with a top down, endorsed support for community and
government partnerships approach.
The approach uses the regional engagement process and resources
Government and communities and families to deliver agreed outcomes.
The place management approach will be used to support the
rollout of the multifunctional Police facilities, develop metropolitan
responses for young people and their families and to progress other initiatives
across the state.
Top
4. STRENGTHENING THE GOVERNANCE,
CONFIDENCE, ECONOMIC CAPACITY AND SUSTAINABILITY OF COMMUNITIES
Community Futures Foundation
The Government is currently developing the Community Futures
Foundation, in conjunction with private enterprise, academic institutions and
philanthropic groups, to provide financial assistance to support creative
initiatives to develop Aboriginal leadership. A one-off seed funding of
$400,000 over two years has been allocated for this initiative.
Top
ENABLERS
Information
sharing and contemporary legislation
Information Sharing Legislation - Privacy and Information Protection Bill
Legislation needs to be in place to
ensure that Government officers can do their jobs quickly and effectively.
The main example is the need to ensure
that legislation does not prevent, or hinder, the sharing of information
between departments, which is sometimes the case. New legislative
provisions are now being prepared to ensure that departments can share
information where appropriate.
Children's and Community Development Bill
The development of this Bill has been informed by extensive
consultation with Aboriginal agencies and peak bodies like the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission and children's forums.
This Bill will strengthen provision of information to children and parents, and
participation of children and parents in decision making that affects their
lives.
The Government announced in
Putting People First that this would be introduced into the Autumn
sitting of 2003. Following that, the Cabinet legislation Committee revised
priorities on, which led to the introduction of the Bill being put back to
2004.
Mandatory reporting - Legislation to strengthen existing
interagency child protection protocols and reporting processes
The Government is committed to the strengthening of existing
inter-agency child protection protocols and reporting processes.
Consideration has been given to the Review of Mandatory
Reporting of Child Abuse in Western Australia (Maria Harries, July 2002) which
was commissioned by the Child Protection Council and tabled in the Parliament.
Based on this and the findings of the Gordon Inquiry, the Government will
mandate the exchange of information reports concerning children under 13 years
who have a sexually transmitted infection between medical personnel, the
Department of Health, the Department of Community Development and the Western
Australian Police Service.
This will occur within a framework that recognises there are
some circumstances where the health and well being of a child or group of
children is threatened to such an extent that practitioners and others should
report the matter. Young children infected by sexually transmitted disease as a
direct consequence of adult sexual behaviour is one such circumstance.
Compulsory criminal records screening for people working in
child related employment, both paid and voluntary
The Government recognises the need to protect children from
persons who may harm them as paramount. To this end Government views the
screening of employees and carers as an integral part of the assessment of
people wishing to work with or care for children, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal
children. The Government through the Department for Community Development (DCD)
is currently exploring and considering options for improving the effectiveness
of criminal history checks within this state and nationally. There is no
timeline on the development of the Bill.
Child Death Review Committee
It is also the Government's intention to establish, a child
death review process capable of examining trends, child deaths, and specific
issues (such as systemic issues between agencies). This review process will be
in place by the end of December 2002.
The child death review committee to be established
will have an independent chair and members will be drawn from a range of
agencies and organizations. This committee will bring together existing
information about child deaths, identify trends, gaps in knowledge and areas
for further research. This committee will report its findings publicly.
Top
Across-government collaboration and
coordination
Rationalisation of Directors' General and Senior Officers group
management structures
The Gordon Inquiry recommended a simple formal structure to
allow for collaboration between frontline officers, middle management and
strategic Government planning bodies.
In March 2003 the Cabinet Standing Committee on Social Policy
formed a Human Services Directors' General Group to:
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Streamline high-level management structures
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Improve across-government coordination
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Ensure better health, welfare and safety outcomes for children, families and
communities.
It is anticipated that a similar Senior Officers' management
structure will be developed in the near future with guidance from the
new Directors' General Group. The Government is also examining how to link
these groups with effective regional structures.
Bi-lateral agreements between the Commonwealth and State
governments
The State and Commonwealth governments have committed to making
an agreement with which furthers both Government's commitment to indigenous
child protection. This agreement is currently under negotiation.
Top
Community engagement and
participation
A community engagement approach has been taken in the
implementation of
Putting People First. Regional managers and senior officers from the
Department of Indigenous Affairs and ATSIC have met in
each region to discuss the dispersal of resources in that region.
Community Partnerships Fund
The Government has allocated $400,000 per year for four years,
to be made available for initiatives that have been identified through local
and regional planning processes that demonstrate partnerships between
government and community.
Staff as a major agent of change
The Government endorses the findings of the Gordon Inquiry that
Government officers are a key to improving service delivery to Indigenous
communities. This includes:
Increasing staff numbers by employing more police,
child protection workers, Department of Justice officers, aboriginal support
workers and other varied officers. Improving
across Government collaboration between staff by expanding the strong families
program which coordinates collaboration between officers on a family by family
basis. Improving training, both to
new officers (above) and more generally.
Aboriginal Cultural Sensitivity Training
The Government has committed to improving the standard of
Aboriginal Cultural Sensitivity Training that is provided to the public sector.
A working group is currently considering strategies to make this happen.
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