Keep Them Safe: a shared approach to child wellbeing
The NSW Government has released its response to the recommendations made by the Special Commission of Inquiry into Child Protection Services in NSW headed by James Wood.
Keep Them Safe: a shared approach to child wellbeing sets out the Government’s action plan over the next five years to improve the safety and wellbeing of children and young people in NSW.
Its goal is that all children in NSW are healthy, happy and safe, and grow up belonging in families and communities where they have opportunities to reach their full potential.
Keep Them Safe lays the foundations for better partnerships between government agencies and non-government organisations.
It addresses the underlying factors that affect abuse and neglect and will help families earlier so that they do not escalate into the statutory child protection system.
The action plan and new legislation has been developed in close consultation with all the agencies that work with vulnerable children and young people, including several advisory groups established to guide the development and implementation of the plan.
risk of significant harm definition
After extensive consultation involving government and non-government representatives, agreement has been reached on the definition for the term "risk of significant harm" that has now replaced "risk of harm" in the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 (the Act).
See the policy definition of "risk of significant harm"
information exchange
Chapter 16A of the Act allows prescribed bodies to exchange information that relates to a child or young person’s safety, welfare or wellbeing.
See the information exchange fact sheet for more details.