Establishment of an Accreditation Scheme for Children’s Contact Services - Why is Government action needed? - Attorney-General's Department

Why is Government action needed?

The consultation paper sets out a range of reasons why government intervention may be appropriate or required, including limited or inconsistent update of existing standards, more being known about risks to families who separate, the benefits of achieving national consistency, views of the sector, the potential for increased community trust and potential for risk to be reduced. You may answer as many or as few questions as you like.

Are there other reasons why you consider a government response is or is not required? Please provide any evidence supporting this position if available.

Of the identified types of risks present in the children’s contact services environment, can or should any of these be addressed by mandatory operating standards? If yes, why?

Are there types of risks present in the children’s contact services environment that could not or should not be addressed by mandatory operating standards?

If an accreditation scheme were established, what measurable signs of success should be considered?

If these involve reference to a baseline (for example, ‘reduction in the number of….’ type measures), please indicate a possible source of data to establish the baseline, or how a baseline could be developed prior to the commencement of accreditation requirements.