CHILDREN IN CARE —
WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN
664. Hon NICK GOIRAN to the parliamentary secretary representing the
Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to children in the care of
the CEO of the Department of Communities. How many children are in the care of
the CEO whose whereabouts are currently unknown?
Hon SAMANTHA
ROWE replied:
I thank the member for some notice
of the question and provide the following answer on behalf of the Minister for
Child Protection.
As
at 31 August 2021, there were 11 children in the care of the chief executive
officer of the Department of Communities whose whereabouts and/or living
arrangements were recorded as unknown. In a small number of cases, children in
care will choose to leave placements to assert their own choices about where
they will live. When a person has chosen to live with people or family in an
arrangement that has not been endorsed by Communities, and has been located by
the caseworker, an assessment of that placement is arranged as a matter of
priority. Young people living in unknown arrangements are still in the care of
the chief executive officer. Whilst their location is unknown, or the young
person is unwilling to disclose their location, they may still be in contact
with their caseworker or other safety networks that keep contact with them,
such as through social media or attendance at school. Their safety and
wellbeing is monitored by their caseworker and they are able to access the same
supports.