Children in care—Child Protection Guide
689. Hon Nick Goiran to the minister representing the Minister for Child Protection:
I note that it is National Child Protection Week and refer to the Child Protection Guide, specifically section E.17, "Missing and unaccounted for children in care".
(1) Is the minister aware that under the subheading "When the child is located" it states that caseworkers should "Establish if the child was a victim of any crime while they were missing"?
(2) Noting that the guide was last updated on 18 June 2025, when was this specific requirement included?
(3) Further to (2), what was the genesis of its inclusion?
(4) What steps does the department take to confirm that caseworkers apply this requirement when children are located?
Hon Jackie Jarvis replied:
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. The following response has been provided by the Minister for Child Protection. The Department of Communities advises the following.
(1) Yes. This is longstanding practice guidance that has been in place to ensure that when children in care are located following a period of being uncontactable, child safety practitioners are consciously seeking to ensure they are safe and to provide relevant information to the WA Police Force to ensure their ongoing safety.
(2)–(3) This has been in practice guidance since early 2023 following the new memorandum of understanding with the WA Police Force, which led to a new procedure for assessing if children in care are missing or unaccounted for and taking the appropriate actions to ensure their safety.
(4) Any allegation of serious harm to a child in care is treated as a priority by the Department of Communities and investigated accordingly. When Communities is made aware of concerns raised while a child in care has been listed as "missing" or "unaccounted for, not in contact", appropriate services and supports are provided to the young person. Communities also engages regularly with WA Police Force regarding missing children. When children re-engage with Communities, the young person's caseworker will work with them to confirm their safety and wellbeing.
