The Commissioner for Children and Young People Leanne McLean today welcomed the Tasmanian Government’s release of the Tasmanian Out of Home Care Standards.
“This is a welcome step in the right direction that has taken many years to achieve,” Ms McLean said.
“These standards make clear the expectation that all out of home care providers must uphold the rights of children, as enshrined in the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child and promote the safety and wellbeing of the children placed in their care.
“In their current form, the Standards are a high-level guide for providers on how to shape their service in accordance with the needs of children in their care.”
However, the Commissioner noted that to realise the quality improvements everyone hopes these standards will achieve, they need to be much more than a guide.
“The Standards will – in my view – need to be a legislated requirement of all out of home care providers.
“Accreditation and regulatory mechanisms will be required to support, educate, and advise providers on full implementation, and, importantly, to monitor and assess the compliance of providers against the standards.”
Ms McLean said she looks forward to further discussions with the Tasmanian Government on the full implementation of the out of home care accreditation framework.
