Parental incarceration
Anasina GRAY-BARBERIO (Northern Metropolitan) (12:17): My question is for the Minister for Children. The flagship recommendation of the 2022 inquiry into children affected by parental incarceration was for a new unit to be set up within DFFH with a specific mandate to respond to the needs of approximately 7000 vulnerable children in Victoria with a parent in prison. As Minister Erdogan inferred to my colleague Ms Copsey during question time earlier this month, there are recommendations from this inquiry that sit within your portfolio. The government’s two-page response does not address these recommendations directly or reference any family services designed or delivered specifically for the children and families of people in prison. Minister, which inquiry recommendations are you responsible for acquitting and what progress has been made towards implementing them?
Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:18): I thank Ms Barberio for her first question here in question time and take this opportunity to congratulate her on her election to this place. I look forward to many more questions and acknowledge the inaugural speech that you gave last night. It certainly indicated your passion and commitment to issues in my portfolio, and I look forward to engaging with you on those. Parental incarceration is an issue that has concerned me significantly since I was at university myself and did one of my assignments on how we ensure that we keep families together even when they are incarcerated and how we do everything that we can to, particularly through the work done in some of our woman’s correctional facilities and programs, ensure that we are working to maintain those connections between children – sometimes children who are in the child protection system but not always – and their parents in custody. I note that Minister Erdogan did provide a response that went to the whole-of-government response in relation to this inquiry. I also gave evidence at the Yoorrook Justice Commission that this is an issue that we continue to work on in relation to Aboriginal families, and work remains underway on some of those programs. I look forward to being able to update you on that and provide you with information about that as that progresses.
Anasina GRAY-BARBERIO (Northern Metropolitan) (12:19): Thank you, Minister, for your response. My supplementary question is: one of the inquiry’s findings was that the child protection system does not systematically record when children in its care have an incarcerated parent, and that this means it does not adequately recognise or respond to children affected by parental incarceration. What work has been done since the inquiry to improve the way the child protection system works with the corrections system to ensure these children’s needs are accounted for and met, and what further work is planned?
Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:20): I again thank the member for her question. For children who are involved in child protection and who do have a parent in the corrections system, the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing does work as part of that child’s case management plan, where it is in the best interests of the child, to facilitate those connections between the children and the parents. The range of supports can include things like counselling programs to develop, re-establish and strengthen family links and ties. The supported play and visitation program as well is another key program which we seek to provide for, which seeks to increase opportunities to engage children with their parents who might be incarcerated. Parenting programs as well for parents will support both the implementation of those existing programs but also hopefully at some point family reunification, and the family preservation and reunification services work intensively with those families to try and both maintain connections and/or build connections as well. There is a lot of work happening in order to ensure that we can successfully reunify and safely reunify a family post incarceration.