A digital platform from the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) is to prevent at-risk children from slipping through the cracks when their families move interstate by helping child protection authorities access critical information from interstate Agencies.
Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services, Alister Henskens said NSW child protection workers had used the landmark digital platform, Connect for Safety, more than 800 times in the last month alone.
“This world-leading platform has been developed in NSW and is creating a stronger safety net for at-risk kids, by enabling the exchange of data quickly, easily and securely between State and Territory child protection Agencies,” Mr Henskens said.
“The simple act of sharing information across borders could be the difference between preventing child abuse or neglect, and having it go undetected,” he said.
“Vulnerable children are often at heightened risk of harm if their background in a previous jurisdiction is unknown, or not easily accessible to child protection authorities.”
Mr Henskens said that, prior to the pandemic, about 330,000 Australians on average moved interstate each year.
The Minister said all State and Territory jurisdictions, except Tasmania, were currently sharing information on Connect for Safety and Tasmania was expected to come onboard later this year.
He said every statutory child protection officer in Australia was expected to have access to the program by July next year.
