The Department of Communities has launched the Charter of Rights for Parents and Families, setting out the rights of children, parents and families involved in statutory child-protection matters.
The Charter was developed through a partnership between the Family Inclusion Network of WA (FinWA) and the Department, and is the first in Australia to be formally endorsed by a child protection jurisdiction.
It outlines the rights of parents and families across six areas: respect, information, support, fair treatment, participation and inclusion, and privacy and confidentiality.
Minister for Child Protection, Simone McGurk said that while the safety and wellbeing of children continued to be the priority in all child protection matters, the Charter recognised parents and families as key people in supporting children’s rights.
“The Charter reflects this by supporting a culture of respect for parents and families; encouraging staff to work with parents and families as equal partners, and
listening to and including parents’ and families’ voices when working with children,” Ms McGurk said.
“In shaping the Charter, FinWA engaged directly with families and communities involved in statutory child protection to ensure the document reflected their experiences.”
She said a key component of that process was understanding the challenges that families faced when they interacted with child protection proceedings.
“The Charter seeks to promote their rights and ensure their voices are heard during a difficult time in their lives,” the Minister said.
“The rights in the Charter are consistent with the Children and Community Services Act 2004.”
The six-page Charter can be accessed at this PS News link.
