NCJ Number
82204
Date Published
1981
Length
563 pages
Annotation
Current Australian child welfare laws are assessed, and reforms in these laws are proposed.
Abstract
The subjects considered are young offenders and methods of dealing with them, children in need of care, abused children, child care services, children in employment, and welfare services. Overall, the reforms proposed are intended to (1) provide appropriate and effective assistance to children in trouble, (2) protect the community's right to be safe from harmful conduct by children, and (3) safeguard children in need of protection. These objectives must be pursued in a way which avoids intrusive intervention in the lives of children and their families. There must also be legal safeguards and checks and balances which can help prevent injustice and abuse where coercive intervention in citizens' lives occurs. Currently, procedures for dealing with troubled youth do not distinguish between approaches for handling those who have committed criminal offenses and those who exhibit problem behavior but have committed no offense. Differences in procedures for dealing with these two categories of youth should be clearly distinguished. Regarding children in need of care, court action should be avoided wherever possible, and every effort should be made to find informal solutions to their problems. New procedures for addressing child abuse must provide for reporting such abuse and ensuring the child is protected from further abuse. Existing law on the licensing of child care facilities is unsatisfactory. The new law should protect children in such care while avoiding unnecessarily bureaucratic and intrusive practices. Welfare services are fragmented and uncoordinated, requiring an immediate and comprehensive inquiry. Many institutional reforms are also needed. A draft bill for a new Child Welfare Ordinance is appended. (Author summary modified)