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.