2015-09-21
NINA SPRINGLE: My question again is for the Minister for Families and Children. I direct her attention to Anglicare Victoria's Children in Care Report Card, released on 27 August. It tells us that only 15 per cent of children in care have regular contact with their siblings. Can the minister inform the Parliament of what action she is taking to increase the number of children in care who have regular contact with their siblings?
MINISTER MIKAKOS: I thank the member for her question. In fact earlier this year I attended a forum that had been organised by the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare and Berry Street to discuss exactly the issue of sibling contact and how we can improve sibling contact for children who are in out-of-home care. I was very moved that day by the stories I heard of experiences that children have had and the loss of contact that they have had with their siblings. I value very much the relationship that I have with my own sibling, and I think it is important that all children, whether they are in out-of-home care or not in out-of-home care, have opportunities to have strong bonds with their siblings.
In fact just on the weekend I was at another event, organised by the CREATE Foundation, which is an organisation that gives a voice to children who are in out-of-home care. I had the opportunity to speak to some young people there about their own relationships with their siblings and other family members and how they have experienced out-of-home care both historically and in a contemporary setting.
It is very important that we try to promote these relationships as much as they are possible. I do make the point to the member that sometimes there are issues around sexual abuse occurring between siblings and there are very valid reasons why there cannot be contact or there is supervised contact between siblings. It is about protecting very vulnerable children and keeping them safe.
I can assure the member that in Victoria where possible siblings are placed together in out-of-home care and where this is not possible contact between siblings is promoted and supported through regular get-togethers. As I said, for safety reasons it is not always possible that that occurs, but that is certainly an outcome that the system seeks to promote and I am very keen to have that outcome improved upon.
I also mention to the member that, as she would be aware, one of the very first announcements that I made as minister earlier this year related to the allocation of $43 million for targeted care packages, so that we can move children out of residential care into home-based care. Part of the thinking behind that is to enable sibling groups to be placed together in home-based care. That would mean that, for example, where a grandmother is renting a house and she is unable to take on the care of a sibling group, we would give her some financial assistance to enable her to rent a larger home to be able to take on the care of that sibling group. So we are putting in place practical measures to assist carers to be able to care for sibling groups.
I can assure the member that we as a government are very committed to keeping families together and are seeking to promote the goal of having siblings have as much contact together as is possible.
NINA SPRINGLE: I am also gratified to hear that there is a commitment there from the government to ensure that sibling reunification in some regards and contact in others is maintained. As part of that commitment, will the minister set a target for the percentage of children in care who have regular contact with their siblings where it is safe to do so by 2018?
MINISTER MIKAKOS: I thank the member for her question and I refer the member to what I said in answer to her previous substantive question in relation to the roadmap for reform. The roadmap for reform is looking at systemic reform of the system. It is looking to address a range of issues around how we better respond to the needs of vulnerable families and vulnerable children, how we seek to have more children placed in home-based care and how we can intervene earlier and more effectively before things escalate and get into crisis, but also a range of other issues that have come to light in discussions that I have had with both children who are in out-of-home care and also the community sector. One of those issues is around sibling contact. I will be working with those representatives both on the expert advisory group and in the sector broadly on this issue and many other issues.