CCYP investigation into changes to the allocation of Child Safety Officers for children and young people in Tasmania’s Out-of-Home Care system
I am writing to let you know that I have recently launched an own motion investigation into the introduction of a new Out-of-Home Care (OOHC) case management model which has changed the allocation of Child Safety Officers for children and young people in care in Tasmania. This has been identified as an emergent systemic issue warranting further investigation through my regular independent monitoring of the Tasmanian Out-of-Home Care system.
Under the new model, some children and young people in care are no longer allocated to an individual Child Safety Officer. Instead, these children and young people are allocated to teams (which include Child Safety Officers) within the Child Safety Service, with communication managed through a generic phone number and email address.
My investigation will be informed by the principles set out in the Commissioner for Children and Young People Act 2016 (Tas) (CCYP Act), and relevant provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the Charter of Rights for Tasmanian children and young people in out of home care (Charter).
The Terms of Reference for the investigation and a Submission Guide are available on my website (CCYP investigation into the introduction of a new Out-of-Home Care case management model (childcomm.tas.gov.au).
I am welcoming public submissions to inform the investigation. Hearing from those with experience of the model will help me to understand it better, and how it aligns with the rights of children. I will also be establishing mechanisms for children and young people with a care experience to have direct input into the investigation in the new year.
Should you have any questions regarding the investigation or how to provide a submission, please contact my office on (03) 6166 1366 or via childcomm@childcomm.tas.gov.au.
Kind regards,
Leanne McLean
Commissioner for Children and Young People Tasmania