AN investigation into statutory child protection in NSW has revealed the Western NSW Districts of the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) have been unable to meet the standards laid out in the NSW Child Safe Standards for Permanent Care.

As a result, the decision has been made by the NSW Office of the Children's Guardian (OCG) not to renew their accreditation.

However, officials say this will not impact the services provided to the 547 children currently under the protection of DCJ in the Western NSW District.

What will happen instead is an opportunity for collaboration between the OCG and DCJ to find ways to improve the level of care - achieved through the introduction of an action plan to be implemented over the next twelve months.

The Western NSW District covers most shires in the Central West and Orana region of NSW as well as a few shires in the Far West region.

The list of shires goes as follows: Bathurst Regional, Blayney, Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Cabonne, Cobar, Coonamble, Cowra, Forbes, Gilgandra, Lachlan, Mid-Western Regional, Narromine, Oberon, Orange, Parkes, Walgett, Warren, Warrumbungle Shire, Weddin, and Western Plains Regional.

An investigation by the OCG found the DCJ lacking in key areas of child protection. Credit: Natalia Deriabina/Shutterstock.com

What went wrong?

The investigation found that caseworkers in Western NSW weren't visiting homes as frequently as needed or reporting when they did.

There was also evidence that birth parents hadn't been contacted regarding decisions to place children in care or move their child to a different placement.

DCJ representatives say that dealing with the drought, covid-19, and now floods on our communities has impacted all facets of life - including the region's child protection services.

As well as insufficient monitoring of some children and carers, inconsistent casework support and variable standards of recordkeeping were also noted.

Where to from here? 

Maintaining the status quo is clearly not an option and intensive support will now be provided to the DCJ's staff and managers so that they are equipped to meet the required standards.

A Department of Community and Justice spokesperson says that the process will enable the Western NSW Districts to improve their care to a level they want to be at.

"The safety and well-being of all children and young people is an absolute priority."

"This includes ensuring that all children in out-of-home-care receive a level of care that meets the Child Safe Standards for Permanent Care."

"Children and families in Western NSW will continue to receive the same supports and services they need while the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) works with the Office of the Children’s Guardian (OCG) to improve some service areas further."

"The action taken by the OCG is about providing feedback and continuous improvement to service delivery. It is not uncommon for the regulator to provide feedback to providers of this nature and to allow them additional time to implement improvement plans that address this feedback," said the spokesperson.

The action plan will be introduced later this December.

The OCG will continue to monitor the DCJs efforts, while the department itself has undertaken to include its own internal auditing, integrity checks and sampling to measure improvements and ensure weaknesses are addressed effectively.