The Year in Review 2013-14 replaced the November newsletter. It provides the key points of the year’s activity and trends which are reported in more detail in the Guardian’s 2013-14 Annual Report.
Also released was a summary of what was said in the Guardian’s field consultation with service providers across the state between July and September. More than 400 people participated and provided their ideas and expertise about improving the experience for children of changing placements, among many other topics.
The report What we know about the circumstances of children in care from their 2013-14 Annual Reviews was released in October. This report provides some factual balance to the public stories of crises in child protection and out of home care. It is written from the ‘auditor’s’ point of view and includes five year trends of placement stability, allocation to caseworker, use of Individual Education Plans and the participation of children.
The Charter of Rights Implementation Committee met in November and February. They are celebrating eight continuous years of discussion and joint action on children’s rights, including the production of flashcards about rights for children with disability or low literacy.
Two additional agencies have joined the Charter of Rights ‘endorsing agency’ group, making a total of 67 agencies. Congratulations and welcome to Sammy D Foundation and Carers’ Link Barossa and District.
Consultation workshops with children and young people in July and September last year gave the Guardian the benefit of hearing directly from more children about their views. These were staged with the assistance of Key Assets and the Metropolitan Aboriginal Youth and Family Services. The report on what we learnt about young peoples’ views on giving and receiving respect will be published in March.
In the second half of 2014, the Office of the Guardian received 67 requests for intervention about children under guardianship, involving 86 children. The Senior Advocate audited 90 annual reviews and the Advocates made 20 official visits to residential or youth justice units.
