The state government has appointed Dr Fiona Arney as the independent person to lead the Independent Inquiry into Foster and Kinship Care.
Dr Arney has significant national and international experience in child protection spanning two decades and has served on multiple royal commissions and independent oversight bodies.
The inquiry commenced on 8 January 2022 and will be completed no later than 8 June 2022. On completing the inquiry, Dr Arney will cause a report of the inquiry to be prepared, and a copy of the report will be provided to the Minister.
Terms of reference
The scope of this inquiry is determined under section 169A of the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017, and includes, but isn’t limited to:
- Existing complaint mechanisms as they relate to foster care and kinship care.
- Existing consultation processes with foster and kinship carers.
- Information sharing and the sharing of documentation with foster and kinship carers.
- Ensuring that there is sound partnership with foster and kinship carers and that the rights of children in foster and kinship care are respected, addressed and realised.
- Recommendations to improve foster and kinship care in South Australia.
The full terms of reference are available here.
Full terms of reference (60.1 KB PDF)
Full terms of reference (16.4 KB DOCX)
Submissions
The call for submissions has now closed.
Full consideration is being given to the issues raised in the submissions made to the Inquiry.
Queries about the Inquiry can be directed to carer.inquiry@sa.gov.au.
