Stakeholder engagement
CREATE

The Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner met with representatives of CREATE on 11 January. This was the first of their quarterly meetings for 2010 which provide opportunities to discuss work they have completed or which is in progress to improve outcomes for young people in care.

Key outcomes from the meeting were as follows:

• The CREATE young consultant provided feedback about the success of a recent 10 month overseas student exchange. In preparing for the exchange, CREATE's young consultant learnt a great deal about how to secure the appropriate approvals to make this trip a reality. All agreed that these learnings would be important to feedback to the Department of Communities (Child Safety Services) to help them streamline their processes for other young people who may have similar opportunities to travel or participate in different life experiences.
• The Commission reported on the successful distribution of about 2000 Club CREATE brochures through the Community Visitor Program to young people in care to inform them about opportunities to link up with CREATE and benefit from the networking this provides.
• The CREATE representative updated the Commission on the progress of their advocacy work to increase support for young people in care to obtain driver licenses. CREATE advised that this remains a number one issue for the Youth Advisory Group and they hope the work currently being done by Child Safety Services may result in some further options for assistance.
• The Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner noted the work also being done by Child Safety Services to improve guidance to carers on assisting young people with information about sexuality and relationship issues. These are important initiatives and the work being done at a policy level is very encouraging. Both CREATE and the Commission look forward to further updates on improvements reported by young people after the release of this additional guidance material and related training, particularly for young people in residential care contexts.
• CREATE representatives reported their interest in further supporting initiatives to clarify what makes a good placement and potential triggers for placement breakdowns. They are also keen to strengthen their advocacy to Child Safety Services based on feedback from young people of the importance of Child Safety Officer contact. The Commissioner discussed the relevance of her work in collating the Views survey as well as Child Safety Service’s record with respect to this responsibility in the Child Guardian Report. The Commissioner advised that the next Child Guardian Report is due for release in late March this year.

 

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