The Hon Tony Kelly MLC
Minister for Police
Minister for Lands
New South Wales Government
Minister for Rural Affairs
Deputy Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council
Leader of the House in the Legislative Council
Tuesday, March 3, 2009.
Police ready to play their part in new measures for child protection
Minister for Police Tony Kelly today responded to the recommendations from the
Wood Inquiry by announcing that the NSW Police Force will initiate reforms that will
improve the way that children are protected in NSW.
Mr Kelly said the Rees Government’s plan is designed to create a culture in which we
all share responsibility for children’s wellbeing while building a stronger, more
effective child protection system.
“There are nearly 100,000 Police-initiated referrals to the Department of Community
Services (DOCs) which under the current arrangements contributes the largest
amount of work for that Department,” Mr Kelly said.
“The establishment of new child protection units within key government agencies will
lessen the strain on Community Services’ resources by employing mandatory
reporters, such as Police.”
A centerpiece of the Wood Inquiry’s recommendations is a new model for the intake
and referral of child protection matters which will raise the mandatory reporting
threshold to keep children that are at risk of significant harm under Community
Services’ management.
Mr Kelly said the NSW Police Force will implement a new Child Wellbeing Unit to
deal with reports and direct them to local services.
“The unit will comprise of experienced Police and civilian staff, and will likely receive
approximately 60,000 reports per year,” Me Kelly said.
“The principle of an alternate referral pathway will ensure that children and families
who need some help without requiring statutory intervention are directed to
appropriate services outside the statutory child protection system.
Mr Kelly said the Unit will provide a strategic approach to improve agency and
interagency capability to respond to child protection concerns and advice to police
officers about how best to respond to a child protection concern. The Unit will:
o advise whether a matter meets the statutory threshold for reporting to the
Department of Community Services
o give guidance about appropriate ways to support children and families in
non-statutory cases
o capture and provide information and data
o drive better alignment and coordination of agency service systems and
non-government services to improve local service relevance and
availability; and
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The Hon Tony Kelly MLC
Minister for Police
Minister for Lands
New South Wales Government
Minister for Rural Affairs
Deputy Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council
Leader of the House in the Legislative Council
o
participate in cross-agency education.
“It should be noted that any reports of imminent risk would continue to be referred
directly to the DOCS Helpline,” Mr Kelly said
Mr Kelly said that the NSW Police has also played a significant role in changing the
privacy legislation to assist in the information exchange between agencies.
“Significant changes to the Police COPS system will be enhanced to enable an
officer to report via the Police system direct to the Helpline and Child Wellbeing Unit
which will save operational police considerable time and reduce the red tape that
currently exists.
Media enquiries: Alex McGregor on 0404 015 556
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