Question On Notice No. 3284 asked in the Legislative Council on 8 October 2020 by Hon Colin Tincknell
Question Directed to the: Leader of the House representing the Minister for Child Protection
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
Question
(1) For the period 1 January 2017 to 1 July 2017, how many Responsible Parenting Agreements did the Department for Child Protection implement:
(a) how many of those Responsible Parenting Agreements listed in (1) originated from a referral from another State Government department, and how many were referred by each department;
(b) how many parents approached to enter into a Responsible Parenting Agreement during this period, refused the agreement;
(c) how many Responsible Parenting Agreements included an agreement for the parents to:
(i) take part in counselling or parenting skills training;
(ii) take reasonable steps to ensure their child attends school;
(iii) take reasonable steps to ensure their child avoids contact with particular people or places; and
(iv) undertake other measures; and
(d) how many juveniles, whose parents agreed to a Responsible Parenting Agreement have:
(i) improved their attendance at school; and
(ii) re-offended since the agreement was made?
(2) For the period 1 January 2020 to 1 July 2020, how many Responsible Parenting Agreements did the Department for Child Protection implement:
(a) how many of those Responsible Parenting Agreements listed in (2) originated from a referral from another State Government department, and how many were referred by each department
;
(b) how many parents approached to enter into a Responsible Parenting Agreement during this period, refused the agreement;
(c) how many Responsible Parenting Agreements included an agreement for the parents to:
(i) take part in counselling or parenting skills training;
(ii) take reasonable steps to ensure their child attends school;
(iii) take reasonable steps to ensure their child avoids contact with particular people or places; and
(iv) undertake other measures; and
(d) how many juveniles, whose parents agreed to a Responsible Parenting Agreement have:
(i) improved their attendance at school; and
(ii) re-offended since the agreement was made?
Answered on 5 November 2020
(1) 117.
(a) Of these 117 agreements, a total of 30 originated from another State Government Department:
- 22 from the Department of Education;
- six (6) from the Western Australia Police Force;
- one (1) from the Department of Health; and
- one (1) from the Department of Justice.
(b) - (d) This level of information is not readily available from the Department of Communities’ child protection information system as the information is held on individual case files. It would impose a significant administrative burden to source and collate this data.
(2) 35.
(a) Of these 35 agreements, a total of 18 originated from another State Government Department:
- seven (7) from the Department of Education;
- six (6) from the Western Australia Police Force;
- three (3) from Department of Health, and
- two (2) from the Department of Justice.
(b) - (d)
This level of information is not readily available from the Department of Communities’ child protection information system as the information is held on individual case files. It would impose a significant administrative burden to source and collate this data.