The
Rockliff-Ferguson Government’s appalling economic management simply is not
delivering for Tasmanian children in need.
Yet again data
released by the government shows children reported as being at risk are falling
through the cracks.
Minister for Children Roger Jaensch’s own data shows the number of
Tasmanian children in “active transition” – reported as being at risk but not
allocated to the care of a child safety officer – has climbed beyond 60.
However, workers and the union for child safety
workers say this is just the tip of the iceberg and in reality hundreds of
at-risk children are not being investigated adequately.
Clearly Mr Jaensch sees
these numbers as just numbers rather than 60 vulnerable children whose
situations requires investigation and action.
There
are currently 60 job vacancies across child safety and if Mr Jaensch and the
government were listening to those who work at the frontline, he would
understand they are unacceptably under-resourced and at breaking point.
Now
is not the time for the government to go ahead with its plan to abolish the
Department of Communities and place its current functions – including those of
child safety workers – into the Education Department.
That would make the crucial workers of child safety officers even more difficult and the government needs to look at the experiences of other states like South Australia where a similar move was an unmitigated disaster – resulting in a Royal Commission – and make a commitment to abandon or a least delay this plan until the findings of the Tasmanian Commission of Inquiry are known.
Sarah Lovell
Shadow Child Safety Minister
