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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 293 asked in the Legislative Council on 31 March 2020 by Hon Nick Goiran

Parliament: 40 Session: 1

CORONAVIRUS — DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITIES — CHILD CONTACT VISITS

293. Hon NICK GOIRAN to the Leader of the House representing the Minister for Child Protection:

I refer to supervised visits involving the Department of Communities in the current state of emergency.

(1) If a contact visit with a child is mandated by court order, what options are being used by the department when such a visit is no longer in the best interests of the child because of COVID-19?

(2) Further to (1), in addition to the best interests of the child, what consideration is currently being taken for the health of carers, staff and families?

(3) Further to (2), what additional consideration is being taken for cases when a family member with whom the contact is to take place is known to lead a high-risk lifestyle?

(4) What personal protective equipment is being supplied for visits when a face-to-face meeting in the same location is mandatory?

Hon SUE ELLERY replied:

I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question.

(1)–(3) The Department of Communities is committed to putting the health and safety of children in care, foster carers and families at the forefront. Decisions about contact visits are managed on a case-by-case basis, and Communities constantly reviews its practice guidance to ensure it is reflective of the child's best interests and is responsive to current state and federal restrictions. Communities is utilising alternative options to facilitate contact visits, including FaceTime, video calls, telephone calls, text messages, letters and sending photos or other mementoes.

(4) Communities is continuing to work as part of a whole-of-government effort to ensure personal protective equipment can be made available where possible to ensure the safety of children in care, carers and public sector staff.