A review of child protection services in New South Wales found that too many children are still getting “lost in the system”. Only 21 per cent of children at risk of severe harm had face-to-face contact with a case worker. More than two-thirds of children reported at risk of serious harm remained unlikely to receive a face-to-face assessment, the response to adolescents remain inadequate, despite in-principle support given for a senior group to be established to coordinate a strategy for vulnerable young people, young people continued to get lost in the system there has been an increase in the number of cases that are being closed due to “competing priorities”.
Leading researchers and practitioners both in Australia and overseas have suggested that applying a public health model to care and protection will deliver better outcomes for our children and young people and their families (Holzer 2007; O’Donnell, Scott, & Stanley 2008; Scott 2006; ARACY 2007).A public health model offers a different approach assisting families early enough to prevent abuse and neglect occurring.
The Keep Them Safe Interim Review Spatial Mapping and Analysis Final report also found that expenditure on Keeping Them Safe projects has generally been directed towards areas of high need, is had also highlighted some locations with apparently high needs that may still be missing out.
One of the key recommendations of the Wood Royal Commission, and consequently a primary objective of Keeping Them Safe, is for the NGO sector to play a more significant role within child and family services.
Keeping Them Safe and the NSW state plan emphasize the importance of coordination between multiple government agencies that have an increasing child protection responsibility, and between the government and non-government sectors. This involves changed work practices for government agencies and NGOs. This approach will require the establishment of new, shared governance arrangements and the development of partnerships across the sector. However it remains to be seen whether the establishment of the above will be affected by syst