Thursday, 15 August 2024

Questions without notice and ministers statements

Child protection

Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:00): (621) My question is to the Minister for Children. Minister, a 14-year-old under your department’s supervision, already on probation for involvement in a violent hit-and-run that left two cyclists seriously injured while he was on bail, now faces charges over a machete-wielding carjacking. Given the serious safety concerns involving children in care, what is the government doing to ensure these children receive proper supervision?

Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:00): I thank Ms Crozier for her question. At the outset I would say that I obviously cannot comment on individual cases. I would also at the outset say that bail conditions and bail matters are obviously not a matter for me but for the Minister for Youth Justice and the Attorney-General. But I would say that in relation to all children in care, particularly high-risk children, my department works very closely with Victoria Police and with the department of justice to ensure that there is information sharing, planning and support for children in out-of-home care who might have such high-risk issues associated with them. We have high-risk youth panels which support multidisciplinary case review, planning, decision-making and service integration – collaborative decision-making – to support the child and those around them and in order to support the care teams who are working with those high-risk young people, some of whom absolutely might be involved in high-risk criminal behaviours. I would say at the outset, though, as I so often remind those in this place, we do want to say that correlation is not causation and that the children who are in out-of-home are in exactly that – out-of-home care. The services that are provided by out-of-home care are those that relate to ensuring that the child has a safe place to live. Decisions around bail are decisions for the courts and others.

Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:02): Minister, thank you for your response. I ask: what advice have you received as to how many children currently under state care are also on bail?

Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:02): Again I cannot, as the minister for child protection, being responsible for providing care for children, comment on the various bail conditions or otherwise of children who happen to also be in care. Those children who are in care are in care for exactly that – a safe place to live. The thing that these children all have in common is that they need a safe place in which to live. The issues around high-risk children are managed by partnerships across government and across the various government agencies but in particular through providing support to the care teams.

Georgie Crozier: On a point of order, President, it was a very specific question around the number of children who are currently on bail in state care. The minister, if she does not know, can just inform the house. It is a very serious issue, and I would ask you to ask the minister to come back to answering that very specific question.

The PRESIDENT: I believe the minister was being relevant to the question.

Lizzie BLANDTHORN: Thank you, President. I again thank Ms Crozier for the question and again remind Ms Crozier that I am the minister for child protection. My responsibilities relate to the protection of children in care. Matters around bail and other youth justice considerations should be directed to the appropriate portfolio ministers.