1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:04,560 Speaker 1: And Professor Elsbeth mckinnis, who is a child protection expert 2 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:07,000 Speaker 1: UNI of essay on the line. Elsbeth, good morning, Thanks 3 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: for your time. 4 00:00:08,280 --> 00:00:10,520 Speaker 2: Good morning, thanks you pleasure to be here. 5 00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:13,440 Speaker 1: From what you've heard listening to the minister and read 6 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:16,640 Speaker 1: the release just out this morning on this issue, are 7 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:17,919 Speaker 1: the changes going to work? 8 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:24,920 Speaker 2: Well, there is a change in how things are counted 9 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:31,560 Speaker 2: and which part of government responds to what kind of stimulus, 10 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:34,720 Speaker 2: so it is going to make a difference in the numbers. 11 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:37,520 Speaker 2: I think that was a point well made in your discussion, 12 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:42,879 Speaker 2: and there's of course you've got to see how things 13 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:48,760 Speaker 2: fall into place or otherwise over time going forwards as 14 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:53,760 Speaker 2: to whether these changes will make a difference in the 15 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:58,920 Speaker 2: levels of stress, trauma and abuse the children are experiencing. 16 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:05,920 Speaker 2: We're changing in the reporting shift. There's a change in 17 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:10,800 Speaker 2: how we classify and respond rather than what's happening in 18 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:15,039 Speaker 2: a child's life. So it's the broader system issues that 19 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:20,480 Speaker 2: the Minister highlight it that will be very important. And 20 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:26,119 Speaker 2: you know who then will triage the reports where there 21 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:31,479 Speaker 2: are concerns what happens to them, because they need somewhere 22 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:34,160 Speaker 2: to make sure they end up in the right place. 23 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:37,959 Speaker 1: Well, that's exactly it, and the big concern I have 24 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:40,360 Speaker 1: and maybe this is the big picture without all the 25 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 1: details you know, in terms of how they manage this 26 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 1: down to the nth degree if you like, but it 27 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:51,800 Speaker 1: just seems changing that mandatory threshold from any risk to 28 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 1: significant risk, a lot of children could slip between the gaps. 29 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:55,880 Speaker 1: That would be the. 30 00:01:55,840 --> 00:02:02,800 Speaker 2: Fear, certainly. And the dations are that the government will 31 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:08,920 Speaker 2: be enabling a raise in skills, awareness and capacity and 32 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:15,680 Speaker 2: practice by professionals in education, in health, in allied health 33 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:22,760 Speaker 2: so that the child protection mandate shrinks to a smaller, 34 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:32,200 Speaker 2: more serious level of concern. And that's got implementation challenges 35 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:35,960 Speaker 2: of course, because there's a whole lot of training that 36 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:41,519 Speaker 2: needs to go into implementing that kind of approach. There's also, 37 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:46,920 Speaker 2: of course the funding implications which the mister canvas. But 38 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:49,480 Speaker 2: at the end of the day, there needs to be 39 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 2: coherence and a process that people understand in the community 40 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:58,760 Speaker 2: like they currently do with the Report of Risk of 41 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:00,040 Speaker 2: Harm system. 42 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:00,920 Speaker 1: That. 43 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:06,080 Speaker 2: They know how to respond to different issues in children's 44 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:10,400 Speaker 2: lives and can be confident that there will be a 45 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:14,800 Speaker 2: service that's available to support those families particular needs. And 46 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:19,040 Speaker 2: of course you know, the attention to First Nations people 47 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:24,920 Speaker 2: and having a self determination an agency resting with aboriginal 48 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:30,359 Speaker 2: torst rate on the people is absolutely important and very welcome. 49 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 2: So I think broadly it's a positive direction in intent 50 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:43,680 Speaker 2: and rationale that we have to see more as time 51 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:47,160 Speaker 2: goes on about how it's intended to be implemented and 52 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:52,280 Speaker 2: how effective that model is. I mean, I certainly welcome 53 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 2: a bigger direction towards supporting families to have better practice 54 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:05,960 Speaker 2: into this safe and enabling of families and to better 55 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:09,160 Speaker 2: be able to house and support their children, housing being 56 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:11,720 Speaker 2: a big part of that puzzle that families often don't 57 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:17,720 Speaker 2: control for example. So you know there's a's a it's 58 00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:22,479 Speaker 2: a positive plan. The level of the threshold for reporting 59 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:26,440 Speaker 2: tends to move back with them forwards across a continuum. 60 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:30,480 Speaker 2: Ours in South Australia has been fairly low for a while, 61 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:34,720 Speaker 2: where previously it was higher and now it's moving back 62 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:38,080 Speaker 2: to the higher end. And and you know, this is 63 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:44,000 Speaker 2: about how the work of supporting families and children's safety 64 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:51,440 Speaker 2: is distributed across government services and action plans, training developments, 65 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:56,520 Speaker 2: and you know, really a really sound understanding for example, 66 00:04:56,560 --> 00:05:00,560 Speaker 2: of what is significant harm how is that to find 67 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:06,680 Speaker 2: that sort of thing will become more urgent in terms 68 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:10,880 Speaker 2: of people understanding just how to work with a system 69 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:13,120 Speaker 2: that is very distributed. 70 00:05:13,320 --> 00:05:15,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely, a long way to go on that, and 71 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:18,240 Speaker 1: the submissions open at the moment, professor, appreciate your time, 72 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:22,560 Speaker 1: Thank you, Thank you, professor, Professor Elsbeth mckinnit's who is 73 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:23,599 Speaker 1: from the UNI of Sa.