Wednesday, 30 October 2024

Child protection

Ann-Marie HERMANS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (18:50): (1240) My adjournment question is to the Minister for Children, and while I ask the minister what immediate action is being taken to address the appalling and tragic situation in this state of unacceptable deaths of children in care, particularly protective care, the action I seek is for the minister to personally visit with me the workers and carers who knew the children and the young people and to meet with key stakeholders, families, family workers and carers et cetera to understand the issue better to develop better system improvements for the protection of Victorian children.

We have seen the deaths of six children over a three-month period in the troubled child protection system, with most of those children under two years old. Think about that: children under two years old are dying as a result. The blood is really falling on the hands of this government when it is not actually putting enough protective systems in place. According to the data from the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, this is what we have: six children over a three-month period. Maybe there is more data out there, but this is what we know, and this is a shocking dereliction of duty, a duty of care that this government has. Twenty children known to child protection agencies have died in the 12 months up to September, according to the quarterly data released by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing. It was reported yesterday that there have been 66 deaths since 2020. Think about the jump in deaths that we have here. There were nine deaths in 2022 to 2023. That in itself is unacceptable, but that jumped up to 17 deaths in 2023 to 2024. We are seeing a constant increase in the number of people who are in protective care under this government, of children dying in care. It is simply not good enough. It is not okay.

It is not okay for one child to be in that situation, but to have so many children, so many young people, dying under the protection of this government is simply not good enough. The wellbeing and safety of our most vulnerable children should be paramount and above any question of finance. I noticed today that the minister was talking about money here and money there and money somewhere else, but if it is not actually doing the job, if there is not an understanding of what needs to be done, then the minister needs to go down there herself and roll up her sleeves and meet with these people and actually figure out a way to fix this situation, because the system, Minster, has failed these children. It has failed these families.