Hype whips up abuse pandemic, Courier Mail, 16 January 2006
16 January, 2006
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The increase in child protection notifications is not exclusively an issue for the Department of Child Safety and Peter Beattie’s government. It is a nation-wide phenomena that is a result of poorly executed risk management strategies and reactionary changes to legislation by state governments caught up in early years hype. But, this doesn’t mean it should be left as it is.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s report on Child Protection published last year indicates, “Over the last 5 years the number of child protection notifications in Australia more than doubled from 107,134 in 1999–00 to 219,384 in 2003–04.”
The Institute says this is likely the result of greater community awareness of child protection concerns. But it is more likely due to changes to legislation and increased promotion of mandatory reporting requirements.
The result is that people who have a duty of care to children are required to report on a wide range of abuses towards children articulated in complex legislation including sexual, physical and emotional abuse. The heightened anxiety and pressure means these people are now more likely to report, even if there is the smallest possibility a child is being abused.
Of course other organisations, like the Alannah and Madeleine Foundation, are calling the situation in Australia a “pandemic of child abuse” and regard the increases an indication of a rise in our nation’s abuse and neglect of children.
But, in Queensland substantiated cases in 2003-04 were 8.7 per 1000 children which is less than 1 per cent of children - hardly a pandemic.
The true pandemic we face is in the media reporting and public perception of the dangers to our children. The media readily exploit the emotionally charged issues of child neglect, disappearance and death. It is what people want to read. Unfortunately, this contributes to unfounded fears being perpetuated in our society such as all men are potential paedophiles and children shouldn’t be allowed to walk to school. This in turn impacts on the way men feel they can relate to children and creates barriers to our community connectedness.
Ministers responsible for children and community services are all too aware of the political carnage such media reports can have. Hence, politicians are interested in legislation and policy that over manages the risks to children. Better to have a system that means every bruise or disturbing drawing at kindergarten is reported – just in case. This type of system, however, requires a significant financial investment, one that most governments seem unwilling to pay for.
The Beattie government’s mistake is not that it is trying to improve its child protection systems, but that it has followed other jurisdictions and implemented legislation that overburdens those systems. An increase from 31,068 notifications in 2002-03 to 40,829 notifications in 2004-05 requires a significant input of extra resources. Especially when you are trying to keep child protection staff workloads to 15.
Governments, children and the systems established to protect them would be better served by being more pro-active. The Victorian Government’s Innovations projects that aim to support families and children who may be at risk of entering the child protection system is one example of where the Queensland government’s focus could be. Not simply protecting children, but investing in projects that will help them and their families to thrive.
Ultimately, it isn’t government systems that protect children it is people. Not people at the end of a phoneline reporting a suspect case of abuse, but through parents modelling to other parents, communities supporting each other and reducing the fear-mongering that exists around our children.
Daniel Donahoo is a fellow with OzProspect, a non-partisan, public policy think tank.