Child information sharing scheme
Dr BACH (Eastern Metropolitan) (12:10): I have got a question today for the minister for early childhood, and it concerns the child information sharing scheme. It was recently reported, following a survey of early childhood education and care workers, that the scheme, designed following recommendations from the royal commissions into family violence and institutional responses to child sexual abuse, is at risk because of low uptake and understanding of its importance amongst the early childhood education and care sector because they are ‘too overworked’ and ‘incredibly time poor’. This is of major concern as children who are potentially at risk of harm may go unreported. The survey found that less than one in 10 Victorian services shared information using the scheme. So I ask: if early childhood teachers and educators are already too overworked, how will you ensure, Minister, that they start using this scheme to share information about at-risk children?
Ms STITT (Western Metropolitan—Minister for Workplace Safety, Minister for Early Childhood and Pre-Prep) (12:11): I thank Dr Bach for his question. It is a good question and an area of reform that I am very determined to ensure is a success. You are quite right: this work has come through one of the very important royal commissions looking into child safety. The Victorian child information sharing scheme enables professionals working across a range of different organisations and services to share information with each other to promote the wellbeing and safety of children or groups of children.
Phase 2, which began in April last year, brought early childhood services into the scheme. Of course there is a comprehensive rollout plan that the Department of Education and Training is undertaking. The training has already commenced but will be delivered regularly between now and 2025 across the sector. The advice that I have got, Dr Bach—I do seek regular updates about this because I want to make sure that this information-sharing scheme is being utilised as much as it should be—is that just over 4000 early childhood services are prescribed and that we have trained in excess of 4200 professionals to date. Of course there will be more training rolled out over the next couple of years.
I do want to acknowledge that COVID did have a bit of a disruptive effect on the rollout of this change in our early childhood regulatory arrangements, but I also want to point out that the survey report that was quoted in the media recently was aimed at only members of that particular organisation—they are a peak body in early childhood—and does not necessarily capture the data across the whole sector. This is an area where I will continue to request updates from the department about how the training is going, but the early indications are that there is increased information sharing going on across all legally prescribed workforces to promote child safety under the scheme.
Dr BACH (Eastern Metropolitan) (12:13): I thank the minister for her very informative response. Through a different mechanism I might seek access to that comprehensive plan that the minister referred to. In this survey, Minister, through the services that it engaged with, a quarter of the respondents did not know at the time that it was undertaken what the scheme was, and early childhood workforce shortages were blamed for that. The children’s commissioner—like you and me, Minister—is concerned, and she stated:
We have seen this time and time again in the commission’s child death inquiries, where appropriate and timely sharing of information could have saved lives …
Again, I appreciate your undoubtedly very genuine care and interest in this issue, Minister, and thank you for the information about the rollout plan. About that plan, can I ask: what deadline have you set for all early childhood staff to be trained in the use of the scheme?
Ms STITT (Western Metropolitan—Minister for Workplace Safety, Minister for Early Childhood and Pre-Prep) (12:14): Thank you, Dr Bach. The majority of education and care services have been trained in this scheme, and the Victorian government has committed to delivering training until 2025. Continuing to increase the number of staff trained is obviously important and is going to be one of the key measures of the successful rollout of that training and awareness.
I do want to acknowledge the staff right across the sector. They have been dealing with an enormous amount over the last couple of years, as you are aware, but I know that they are all incredibly dedicated to making sure that child safety is at the forefront of all the work that they do. The department will work closely with the sector to ensure that this training plan and the uptake of this resource are fulsome. I thank you for your important question about it today.