2372. Hon Alison Xamon to the Leader of the House representing the Minister for Child Protection; Women’s Interests; Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence; Community Services:
I refer to the article “We’ve never been asked for our views before: giving families a voice”, published in the Guardian online on 1 August 2019, and I ask:
(a) is family group conferencing currently used in Western Australia;
(b) if no to (a), why not; and
(c) if yes to (a):
(i) what percentage of care plans for all children currently in the care of the CEO included family group conferencing; and
(ii) what percentage of care plans for Aboriginal children currently in the care of the CEO included family group conferencing?
Hon Sue Ellery replied:
(a) No, Family Group Conferencing is not currently used in Western Australia;
(b) The Signs of Safety Child Protection Practice Framework is utilised in Western Australia which is similar to Family Group Conferencing in several regards.
The intention of Family Group Conferencing and Signs of Safety is for families to be brought together and supported in the process of developing their own plans about the safety of the children.
Both processes:
are facilitated by an impartial person who is not involved in making decisions about the children and family,
encourage the sharing of information, and
encourage the families to develop their own plans to address child protection safety concerns.
(c) Not applicable.