Article from The Advertiser:
TORY SHEPHERD
December 07, 2007 01:15am
ALMOST 7000 reports of child abuse in South Australia were not investigated last year.
A report released yesterday by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows SA is bucking the trend of the other states and territories by investigating fewer cases. In 2001-02, almost half of about 7000 cases were investigated. But in 2005-06, only about a third of about 10,500 cases were investigated.
Australia's Welfare 2007 found reports of physical, sexual or emotional abuse and neglect increased across Australia in the past five years.
Families and Communities Minister Jay Weatherill said pressure on parents had been driving the increase.
"Families have been under increasing pressure, which has led to massive increases of children entering care around the nation," he said.
"Financial pressure, drug and alcohol abuse and mental health issues are ratcheting up the pressure on families, some of whom are unable to cope."
Mr Weatherill said the department's resources were focused on preventing problems.
"All notifications are assessed," he said.
"However, we are also shifting our child protection system away from purely investigative responses towards early intervention and support of families across the community."
Opposition families and communities spokeswoman Vickie Chapman said the department was underperforming and endangering children's lives.
"You can't keep children safe, happy, healthy and confident unless you actually investigate (the cases)," she said. "More children will end up as a statistic."
Child protection expert Elspeth McInnes, a lecturer at the University of SA, said the department had a choice between resourcing investigations or resourcing interventions.
"We have got a long way to go at both ends," she said.
The report found that nationally the number of children on care and protection orders rose by almost a third over five years.
AIHW's welfare and housing group head Dr Diane Gibson said a "considerable number" of children suffered violence and abuse.
"Some of this can be explained by greater community awareness of child abuse and neglect and the cumulative effect of children who enter the system at a young age and remain there for some years," she said. "But it's not the entire explanation."