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Advocate to lead state inquiry into foster care

The state government has appointed a leading child protection advocate to head an inquiry into foster and kinship care in South Australia.

Dec 23, 2021, updated Dec 23, 2021
Photo supplied

Photo supplied

The government said today it had appointed Dr Fiona Arney, former Director of the Australian Centre for Child Protection, to lead the independent review.

It said Dr Arney had significant national and international experience in child protection and had served on royal commissions and independent oversight bodies.

The inquiry – to begin on January 8 and run for six months – will seek submissions from foster and kinship carers as it examines:

• Existing complaint mechanisms as they relate to foster care and kinship care.
• Existing consultation and information-sharing processes with foster and kinship carers.
• Any potential recommendations to improve foster and kinship care in South Australia.

InDaily reported in September that foster carers were calling for payments to be increased, saying they came “nowhere near” covering the actual of raising children.

Child Protection Minister Rachel Sanderson said her aim was for South Australia to have “the world’s best child protection system”.

“Since coming into office, the Marshall Liberal Government has made significant improvements to our child protection system to better support carers and we are continually looking at new ways we can improve,” she said.

“Just recently, the Marshall Liberal Government announced the biggest foster and kinship carer payment increase in more than a decade, totalling an additional $50 per fortnight for general carers who look after children under the age of 16 from January 1.”

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