In short:
A report by SA's Ombudsman has found that three South Australian children were placed in the care of family members contrary to their mothers' wishes.
asserted
children → find → wishes
The report found the child protection workers responsible acted in error.
The Department for Child Protection says it welcomes the Ombudsman's report and that the agency has taken steps to implement recommendations.
asserted
agency → find → recommendations
Child protection workers acted in error when they "informally" placed three South Australian children in the care of family members, against their mothers' wishes, the state's Ombudsman has found.
asserted
Ombudsman → act → wishes
In a report released this month following an investigation into three separate complaints, Ombudsman Emily Strickland found the SA Department for Child Protection removed the children without exercising formal statutory powers.
asserted
Department → release → powers
She wrote the department's approach to removing each child involved "administrative error".
asserted
approach → write → error
"In each matter, the department appeared to have disregarded the clear and persistent disagreement of one of the parents," Ms Strickland stated.
"This was inconsistent with clear internal policy that required genuine collaboration and agreement with parents, guardians and caregivers."
In her report, Ms Strickland noted the department was responding to "serious concerns" for the children's safety and wellbeing.
asserted
department → appear → safety
She stated the department used "safety plans" to place two of the children in the care of another parent or close family member.
asserted
department → state → parent
According to Ms Strickland, safety plans are ordinarily "collaborative" agreements between a child's parents or caregivers and the department.
uncertain
plans → accord → parents
Where agreement cannot be reached, the department must consider alternative approaches to addressing safety concerns, including formal statutory removals under SA's Children and Young People (Safety) Act.
asserted
department → reach → Act
"In the two cases involving safety plans, the mothers clearly and consistently disagreed to the proposed plans," Ms Strickland wrote.
asserted
Strickland → involve → plans
"Despite this disagreement, the department did not exercise formal powers of removal and instead adopted the safety plans either with the child's other parent or with other family members."
asserted
department → exercise → members
In the third case, Ms Strickland found the department removed an infant from their mother and placed them in the care of their father without the use of a safety plan or statutory removal powers.
asserted
department → find → plan
She wrote the department held "serious concerns" for the mother's mental health at the time.
"
asserted
department → write → time
The mother also clearly disagreed with the proposal that her child be placed in their father's care," she wrote.
asserted
she → disagree → care
"Although she eventually reluctantly agreed, the Ombudsman did not consider it open for the department to have sought that agreement to effect a removal without the use of its formal powers."
asserted
department → agree → powers
Ms Strickland wrote that for each case, there were "explicit expectations" in the department's policies for how the department ought to have engaged with the parents.
asserted
department → write → parents
"The expectations for genuine engagement and independent support were not met," she wrote.
"
asserted
she → meet → engagement
Each matter under investigation culminated in the department informally altering the care arrangements of a child without agreement from the parent from whose care the child was removed."
asserted
child → culminate → parent
In a statement, the Department for Child Protection's Acting Chief Executive Darian Shephard-Bayly welcomed the Ombudsman's report and said the agency had taken steps to implement recommendations, including updating its manual of practice on the use of safety plans.
asserted
agency → welcome → plans
He said safety plans were regularly developed in partnership with families to "implement short-term protective measures to keep a child or young person safe", including where they could be safely cared for by family members without the need for formal intervention.
uncertain
they → say → intervention
"Keeping children safely connected to their families, communities and culture remains a priority," the statement read.
asserted
statement → keep → families
"The department and government and non-government partners work with families to address child protection concerns wherever possible to prevent children entering care."
asserted
children → work → care
The Aporia