Fact sheet: Troubling proposals in new child protection legislation
- Details
- Category: Proposed Child Protection Legislation Amendment Bill
- Created: Tuesday, 17 December 2013 23:30
- Written by David Mallard
Have you heard about the Child Protection Legislation Amendment Bill?
The NSW Government has introduced proposed changes to the child protection system that the Premier himself labelled as “radical”. These changes were initially outlined in a discussion paper released in late 2012 and have caused concern among many stakeholders.
What are the key changes in the Bill?
- New agreements and court orders for early interventions that aim to improve parenting capacity in at-risk families, including before a child is born. [Sections 38A-38E]
- Fixed timeframes to make a decision about whether children who have been removed from their family have a realistic chance of being restored. [Section 83]
- A hierarchy of preferred ‘permanency’ options which considers adoption whenever a non-Aboriginal child cannot be in the care of a family member. [Section 10A and related sections]