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A Tasmanian child protection worker has raised concerns that a change in work practices may lead to the death of at risk children.
Child protection worker and delegate for the Health and Community Services Union (HACSU), Ted Sheerin, said child safety categorised a medical professional's report that a four-week-old baby had unexplained injuries as a priority two case, instead of a priority one which requires a same-day visit.
Mr Sheerin said child safety officers instead asked the baby's parents to take the child to the hospital.
"It is not an appropriate way to deal with a child at risk by ringing up parents who are suspected of harming that child and asking them to take the child to the hospital, we need to go out and check on the child," Mr Sheerin said.
It is understood the child has multiple injuries including to the head, and the matter is under police investigation. Child safety officers visited the baby the next day, and the child is now under a care and protection order.
Mr Sheerin said the delay in visiting the child was unacceptable.
"It used to be that whenever we had a notification of a child being hurt, before we went home that day we had to go out and sight that child," he said. "That's already changed, and therefore we don't have to respond before close of business. That's dangerous," he said.
Tasmania's child protection system is under extreme pressure, with recent figures revealing there are hundreds of unallocated child safety cases.
Delays questioned
Mr Sheerin said in recent
months the threshold for notifications requiring immediate visitation
appears to have increased.
"I've seen notifications from nurses that made it very clear this is a notification that this is a children at risk, classed as an enquiry, therefore it is recorded as an enquiry and no work is done on it."
It is understood the four-week-old baby had been the subject of prior notifications that were listed as enquiries.
Budget papers reveal the Tasmanian Government has a target to reduce the numbers of child safety notifications by about 10 per cent. The budget papers also state that rather than counting every call as a notification, the determination is now made within the department.
Tom Lynch from the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU), which represents child protection workers in the state's south said child safety's apparent change in approach to notifications was concerning.
"I haven't seen how the Government intends to achieve that target, surely we all want that to be achieved because there are fewer children at risk, and not because we are changing the measure of risk, and leaving some children falling through the cracks."
Doubts about system redesign
The CPSU and HACSU
are also concerned the Tasmanian Government's redesign of the child
protection system will farm out responsibility for child safety to the
non-government sector.
Mr Sheerin fears that under the redesign, cases like that of the four-week-old baby will become more common.
"The whole reform is planning on notifications that are going to go down, and the only way that will happen, is if we reword them as things other than notifications. That is very dangerous."
Hetty Johnston from advocacy organisation Bravehearts said lifting the threshold on child safety notifications alleviates the pressure on government departments, but does not help children.
"What's happening in Tasmanian is not unique, I mean it's happening right around the country, everywhere … around the country child protection agencies are drinking from fire hydrants," she said.
A spokesman for Human Services Minister Roger Jaensch said "there has been no change to prioritising notifications which require statutory assessment and Tasmania's national reporting is consistent with the majority of jurisdictions".
"The budget papers reflect that the Children's Advice and Referral Service, which is due to be operational later this year, will likely see a reduction in notifications due to earlier interventions," the spokesman said.
The spokesman said the Minister cannot comment on individual child safety cases.
Opposition child safety spokesman Josh Willie said the community needed to have confidence in the system.
"Teachers, police and nurses need to be confident that when they report high-risk cases they are followed up Child Safety Services," he said.
By Rhiana Whitson
13 July 2018
