ANGLICARE welcomes inquiry findings
25 November: Sydney ANGLICARE today welcomed the recommendations contained in the Report of the Special Commission of Inquiry into Child Protection Services in NSW.
Sydney ANGLICARE Community Care Director Ian Jackson, says the recommendations contained in the report go some way to addressing the concerns and experience of many of the organisation’s front-line workers.
“A greater focus on prevention, early intervention and targeted services to assist families at risk is a key to protecting the wellbeing of children in NSW”, said Mr Jackson.
“Caring for our children is primarily the responsibility of families and communities working together, supported by government.
The report recommends that less urgent cases that would normally have been reported to DoCS would now be managed through a ‘Regional Intake and Referral Service’ with appropriate programs managed by non-government organisations.
“The Regional Intake and Referral Service recommended in the report will go some way to easing the difficulty of managing the growing number of cases being reported to DoCS, enabling the department to focus on children and young people who are suspected, on reasonable grounds, to be at risk of significant harm”, said Mr Jackson.
“However success will depend on ensuring that programs to manage the additional services such as early intervention programs, sustained home visiting and other specialised services are adequately resourced and that gaps in service delivery are identified and addressed.
“Success will also depend on how well DoCS, other departments, schools and non-government organisations communicate and coordinate their efforts”.
Sydney ANGLICARE is one of the largest non-government providers of child, youth and family services in NSW and operates Out-of-Home Care services, counselling, and early intervention programs.
