Case Number: 2018 /12778
Date of Findings: 21 October 2022
Magistrate: Deputy State Coroner, Magistrate Harriet Grahame
Catchwords: CORONIAL LAW – accidental death; respite care; voluntary out of home care (VOOHC); unsafe environment in VOOHC; Civic Disability Services
Responses
| Response | Status |
|---|
| Office of the Children's Guardian | Received (PDF, 1.0 MB) |
| Civic Disability Services | Received (PDF, 1.0 MB) |
Recommendations
To the Office of the Children's Guardian:
- It is recommended that the Office of the Children’s Guardian:
a) Consider whether an amendment to the definition of “substitute residential care” (SRC) to capture entities providing respite care for more than one night in any 7-day period would be appropriate;
b) Take steps to ensure that Civic does not provide SRC or “specialised substitute residential care” (SSRC) to persons under the age of 16 years.
c) In circumstances where Civic seeks to be authorised for Statutory Out of Home Care as a designated agency, consider any findings of this inquest and any deficiencies in Civic’s provision of past VOOHC when making that decision; and
d) Provide to the appropriate Minister a copy of the findings of this Inquest.
To the Civic Disability Services:
- It is recommended to Civic Disability Services:
a) That it agrees to a restriction that it does not provide SRC or SSRC to children and young persons under the age of 16 years;
b) Devise and roll out a training program for staff addressing the processes available for alerting all levels of management in Civic of risks within the Civic environment, including direct contact with the CEO.
