More than 20 SA Department for Child Protection employees stood down over eight months, FOI documents show

ABC NEWS (Australia)

More than two dozen South Australian government-employed child protection workers, including nine frontline staff, were stood down in the first eight months of the last financial year. Child protection advocates say it is another reason plans for a nation-leading social worker ‘registration scheme’ should not have been axed last month. They argue it would have shone light into the agency’s workforce and helped build trust with Indigenous communities.

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00:02It was hoped a registration scheme would spark positive change, particularly for First Nations

00:08children.

00:09We had a chance to deliver a service system that was going to be held to account.

00:14But last month the State Government axed the scheme, dismantling the board set up to regulate

00:20it and with it, an Aboriginal body tasked with advising the board and, advocates say,

00:26raising complaints from Indigenous communities.

00:30This was going to provide that quality assurance for our Aboriginal children and families.

00:39The scheme would have restricted high risk work, like making the call to remove a child

00:44to only registered social workers or those supervised by one.

00:49The scheme like this was actually about safety outcomes for children and clients of government

00:54services.

00:55The opposition's pointing to information uncovered in a Freedom of Information request to show

01:01why workers need to be registered.

01:03In the first eight months of the last financial year, 27 child protection staff were stood down,

01:10including nine frontline workers.

01:12Twelve investigations from the child abuse report line into staff who provided care were

01:18still open at the end of February.

01:21Two workers were dismissed for misconduct.

01:23The government says another two were terminated for losing a working with children accreditation

01:29or driver's licence.

01:31Losing essential qualifications is one reason a worker can be stood down, as well as performance,

01:38misconduct and medical incapacity.

01:40To have one person stood down or concerns are about one employee within the Department for

01:46Child Protection would be concerning.

01:48Ultimately, they're dealing with our state's most vulnerable children and most vulnerable

01:51families.

01:52The new Child Protection Minister, Alice Rolls, says the government takes allegations of misconduct

01:58seriously.

01:59She says child safety is a top priority and the Department has robust processes in place to

02:05ensure the right people are working with at-risk children.

02:09They're not doing it before.

02:09They are really providing care of their children.

02:10The last two were one who had a virtual machine spy and the Air Force.

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