Project status: Closed

The Charter for Parents and Families involved with ACT child protection services was released in May 2023. Thank you to everyone who contributed.

What we looked at

The ACT Government committed to develop a Charter of Rights for Parents and Families involved with ACT child protection services (Charter for Parents and Families).

In 2022, the ACT Government undertook targeted consultation with parents and families with lived experience of the child protection system to make sure the Charter developed would reflect the voices of people with a lived experience of ACT child protection services and also organisations that work with families. We used this valuable input to shape the Charter for Parents and Families.

The listening report is available here and summarises what we heard to help us shape the Charter of Rights for Parents and Families.

For further information please contact us at: charterforfamiliesconsultation@act.gov.au

Support is available

We understand some people may feel sad or upset when considering this issue, especially if they have been involved with child protection services.

You may like to contact one of the services below for support:

Blue Knot Foundation Helpline Provides help, information, support or referral for adult survivors of childhood trauma and abuse, their partners, family and friends, health professionals and anyone working with people who have experienced childhood trauma and abuse. Call 1300 657 380, 9am–5pm AEST 7 days a week or email helpline@blueknot.org.au.

Kids Helpline A free 24/7 confidential and private counselling service specifically for children and young people aged 5 to 25. Call 1800 55 1800 anytime, talk online anytime, or email counsellor@kidshelpline.com.au.

Lifeline Provides 24-hour crisis counselling, support groups, and suicide prevention services. Call 13 11 14 anytime, text 0477 13 11 14 12pm–12am AEST 7 days a week, or talk online 7pm–12am AEST 7 days a week.

1800 Respect Australia’s national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service. Call 1800 737 732 or talk online anytime.

Background

In 2020, there was an inquiry into the ACT’s Child and Youth Protection Services (CYPS). The inquiry recommended the ACT Government develop a Charter of Rights for Parents and Families based on one written by Dr Sharynne Hamilton and Prof Valerie Braithwaite, 2 experts from the Australian National University.

The Hamilton and Braithwaite Charter was our starting point, but we also knew it was important to engage with people with lived experience and the community to ensure the new Charter of Rights for Parents and Families is a good fit for the ACT.

Our commitment to develop a Charter of Rights for Parents and Families is reflected in the ‘Trust and Transparency’ domain of Next Steps for Our Kids 2022-2030, the new ACT strategy for strengthening families and keeping children and young people safe.

We developed a discussion paper to guide community consultation on the development of the Charter of Rights for Parents and Families.

Specifically, we sought the community’s views on:

  • who the Charter should apply to
  • the values and ideas that the Charter should be based on
  • which rights should be included in the Charter
  • which responsibilities should be included in the Charter
  • different ways we could use the Charter
  • ideas for how the new Charter will interact with the Charter of Rights for Kids in Care, to ensure they work together in a fair and sensible way.