23 May 2019

Roger Jaensch MP

2019-20 Budget: Investing in our most vulnerable

The Hodgman Liberal Government is continuing to deliver on our commitment to help and protect Tasmania’s vulnerable children and young people, with additional funding allocated in the 2019-20 State Budget.

Since 2016, the Strong Families, Safe Kids redesign Project has delivered a range of actions to improve outcomes for Tasmanian children, young people and their families, including the implementation of the Strong Families, Safe Kids Advice and Referral Line, the release of the Tasmanian Child and Youth Wellbeing Framework, the development of the Child and Family Wellbeing Assessment Tool and creating a range of new frontline and support roles within the Child Safety Service.

This year’s State Budget supports the continuation of Strong Families, Safe Kids by investing in:

• More funding for Tasmania’s Out of Home Care (OOHC) system - Additional funding of $16.9 million has been allocated to meet the growth in demand for Out of Home Care services, including children in placements with foster carers, kinship carers, or with organisations that provide a level of specialised service for children living with complex needs. Some out of home care children present with very complex needs and require extensive periods of time receiving specialised care with highly intensive wrap-around services to be provided whilst safe, appropriate and stable options are pursued to address the future needs of the child.
• Continuing the rollout of the Strong Families, Safe Kids implementation plan  - An additional $2.3 million to invest in strengthening quality assurance processes, improved practice in investigation and response, delivery of the Child and Youth Wellbeing Outcomes Framework and ongoing change management activity to embed the principles of the redesign within the operation of the Child Safety Service.
• Additional funding for the Office of the Commissioner for Children and Young People - The Office of the Commissioner for Children and Young People will receive an additional $112,000 per annum for additional resources to support its work promoting the rights and wellbeing of young people, enabling better consultation with young people so they can express their views and opinions, and play an active role in decision making processes.

We are redesigning the child safety system to keep families together where it is safe to do so, to ensure that Tasmanian children and young people get the best possible start in life, and this investment will increase our ability to ensure that vulnerable children and families get the support they need, when they need it.