This is a joint project between the Department and Legal Aid WA, and was established over a 12 month period starting in late 2012. The project pilot was developed due to what was believed at the time to be a nearly 50% drop off rate of Aboriginal parents attending Signs of Safety Pre-Birth Meetings and not going through to Pre-Hearing Conferences.
It was identified that the process of Pre-Hearing Conferences - being lawyer assisted negotiations -were intimidating to Aboriginal clients. This resulted in parents being reluctant to attend and also not feeling confident in actively participating in the process. The pilot project developed resources that allow Departmental staff to engage with parents prior to attending the Pre-Hearing Conference, and to develop a clear understanding of the process and their confidence to be actively involved in negotiating outcomes for their children.
The main component of the project pilot is the discussion with parents around who is the “right person” to support them through this process. Once “the right” support people have been identified the next step is to engage these people with the same pilot resources to ensure they are aware of the process, and how they can best assist the parents to be actively involved in the negotiations and decision making around their children. (Aboriginal Engagement and Coordination Directorate)
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