When individuals, parents, families, communities and government work together, we canensure children have access to opportunities, services and support and are protected from harm.
We need a whole-of-community approach to preventing child abuse and neglect from occurring and recurring.
This includes effective parenting, child care services, community education about abuse and neglect, early intervention, and access to services when abuse and neglect have occurred.
The Departments of Education, Health, Justice, Police, Child Protection and Disability Services, and the non-government sector, are important partners protecting children from harm, through the Interagency Collaborative Framework for Protecting Children and the Reciprocal Child Protection Procedures. These arrangements are supported by laws that protect people who make reports, and strengthen information sharing.
In 2004, protocols between the Department of Health, Department for Child Protection and the Western Australia Police were established, which require the reporting of children under 14 years of age with sexually transmitted infections (STI) and the reporting of children aged 14 to 16 years with an STI acquired through abuse.
Responses that support the protection of children and young people include:
- Prevention and early intervention responses to support families and communities
- Protective responses for those who have been harmed or at risk of serious harm through abuse or neglect, and the provision of treatment responses to address the effects of abuse and neglect
- A quality care system for children and young people in the care of the Chief Executive Officer of the Department for Child Protection.
Role of the Department
Through its administration of the Children and Community Services Act 2004, the Department for Child Protection has a major responsibility for safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of children and young people and to provide for the protection and care of children and young people in circumstances where their parents have not given, or are unlikely or unable to give, that protection and care.
The objects of the Children and Community Services Act 2004 are, to:
- promote the wellbeing of children, other individuals, families and communities
- acknowledge the primary role of parents, families and communities in safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of children
- encourage and support parents, families and communities in carrying out that role
- provide for the protection and care of children in circumstances where their parents have not given, or are unlikely or unable to give, that protection and care
- protect children from exploitation in employment and
- promote the best interests of children who receive child care services.
The Children and Community Services Act 2004 empowers the Department for Child Protection and the Western Australia Police to take certain actions to ensure the immediate safety of children and young people.
The Department also administers other Acts and related regulations that enable the development and provision of services to children, young people and families. For example:
- Adoption Act 1994 and Adoption Regulations 1995 which makes provisions for the adoption of children
- the Children and Community Services Regulations 2006 including those related to children's services
- Working with Children (Criminal Record Checking) Act 2004.
Statutory child protection
The Department performs its statutory child protection responsibilities by:
- receiving and assessing reports of concerns for a child or young person's wellbeing arising from the actions, in-actions or inability of people who have a parental responsibility to protect and care for them
- working with other agencies to ensure appropriate assessments and responses
- working with children, young people and their families and communities to build their wellbeing, including, safety
- providing information, support, referral and counselling services in conjunction with other agencies
- investigating matters where the child may be in need of protection
- seeking orders through the WA Children’s Court for the protection and care of children and young people
- making arrangements for a child or young person’s safe care in or out-of-home.
The Department’s preferred way of ensuring the wellbeing, including safety, of children and young people and where necessary their protection from abuse or neglect, is to support and strengthen their family and community to provide a nurturing living environment and safe care. The best interests of the child or young person is the paramount consideration in all matters.
Children and young people in out-of-home care
Children and young people who are in out-of-home care or away from their parents are provided with additional support to ensure that their needs are met and that they experience no further harm. Whenever possible and safe to do so, contact between children and their parents and others important to them is generally supported because of the ongoing importance of these relationships to the child.
The Department's Care for Children and Young People strategic framework sets out the principles that promote the best interests of the child and young people in care.