Hon Helen Morton MLC — WA exports child protection expertise

Child Protection Minister Helen Morton today launched an important agreement with Alberta, Canada, further spreading Western Australia’s expertise in child protection across the globe.

A Memorandum of Understanding has been agreed with the Canadian province of Alberta to share the WA-developed Signs of Safety child protection practice framework. It is a tool embedded in WA’s child protection practice which enables child protection workers to rigorously assess the safety of a child.

“WA is a world leader in child protection practice, with the locally developed Signs of Safety child protection practice framework now being used in more than 100 jurisdictions and 17 countries around the world,” the Minister said.

“Signs of Safety places families at the centre of assessing, planning for and taking responsibility to provide a safe and positive environment for their children. Critically, the framework has strengthened our work with families, meaning more children can stay at home with a safety plan in place where needed.

“Today’s signing will benefit both parties – we look forward to sharing the knowledge, skills and experience we have in WA with our Alberta counterparts, and in turn learn from them.”

The agreement was signed simultaneously via video link by Mrs Morton, and Alberta Minister of Human Services Manmeet S. Bhullar.

“We know that removing children from their families is devastating and traumatic for all involved. I strongly believe children should remain with family or within their community unless there is a clear threat to their safety and wellbeing,” Mr Bhullar said.

“Signs of Safety has proved internationally to be a successful model that reduces rates of child removal and improves relationships between caseworkers and families, and I am positive that we will see the same results here.”