The review recommended the abolition of the Department for Community Development and the establishment of two separate departments, namely the Department for Child Protection and the Department for Communities. The review report was released by the State Government in March 2007. Through the administration of the Children and Community Services Act 2004, the Department for Child Protection supports families and individuals who are at risk or in crisis, and provides for the protection and care of children in circumstances where their parents have not provided, or are unlikely or unable to provide, that protection and care. Services are centered around three key areas: 1. Supporting children and young people in the Chief Executive Officer's care. 2. Protecting children and young people from abuse. 3. Supporting individuals and families at risk or in crisis.

In the Department for Child Protection's Annual Report for the first year of its operations (2007-2008), the Director General gave an overview of its purpose, progress and challenges:

This is the first year and the first annual report of the new Department for Child Protection. The establishment of the department follows the review of the former Department for Community Development by Prudence Ford that was released by the State Government in March 2007. The refocussing of the department has given primacy to its child protection roles supporting young people and children in the care of the Chief Executive Officer and protecting young people and children from abuse and also interprets child protection in its broadest sense to encompass the other key service provided by the department supporting individuals and families at risk or in crisis. The department's retention of responsibility for broader welfare services is critical as the provision of family support is a key means of providing effective child protection. This comprehensive range of tertiary and secondary social services also marks the continuity of the department from its inception in 1882 as the Poor Relief Department. The Ford Report clearly outlined this conceptual basis for the department's work and anticipated a substantial increase in its capacity and a thorough reform of its operations. This work is well underway. The department's capacity was boosted by some 300 FTE in its first year of operation with an additional 230 FTE in the coming year. Together with the application of appropriate caseloads and a commitment to resourcing being determined by demand for services, the department is positioned to effectively meet its responsibilities. The analysis and recommendations of the Ford Report were informed substantially by the experience of the department's frontline staff as well as its key partners. These recommendations have formed the basis of the department's extensive agenda for reform. They have been augmented by key developments such as the adoption of a consistent evidence-based child protection practice framework and a major emphasis on ongoing learning. A number of key reforms have been delivered and work is well under way on the full agenda under a rigorous project management approach. It is expected that 2008-09 will see the delivery of most of the reform agenda. The transformation of the department sought by staff and outlined in the Ford Report recommendations and mandated by the Government is thus progressing. It is nevertheless a work in progress and the delivery of major reform projects in the coming year will form the basis for continuing growth and improvement in the department's capacity and service delivery in the years that follow. The Department for Child Protection, like its predecessors, provides some of the most critical community services in Western Australia. Child protection work is invariably contentious and emotionally confronting. The responsibility for children who cannot be looked after by their families is one of the most fundamental responsibilities of the state. Assisting both individuals and families, who are vulnerable or through periods of crisis, is the mark of a strong and compassionate society. Carrying out this essential work in a way that is open and collaborative and supports individual children and families to do the best they can is the challenge for the Department for Child Protection. The community of Western Australia can be confident in the department's commitment to performing these difficult and complex responsibilities…
Terry Murphy, Director General

Events

2007

The Department for Child Protection cares and protects children and supports families and individuals who are at risk or in crisis