An additional 88 recommendations have been completed since the last progress report, showing the significant progress being made across government to better support vulnerable families, protect children and invest in their future.

Key achievements from the 2019 progress report include:

• introducing stronger, more transparent and effective screening laws through working with children checks (Department of Human Services)
• fully implementing the remaining provisions under the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017
• setting-up family group conferences (starting January 2020) to support families to make their own decisions that protect children and young people (Department for Child Protection)
• undertaking a recruitment process to attract Aboriginal Child Advocates in regional areas to better support children interacting with the Youth Court Conferencing Unit (Courts Administration Authority)
• trialling an intensive family support program, including a program in Northern Adelaide and an Aboriginal-specific service in Western Adelaide (Department of Human Services)
• supporting schools by expanding Strategies for Managing Abuse Related Trauma (SMART) training and implementing the Trauma Aware Schools initiative, including access for key staff to undertake graduate qualifications in developmental trauma (Department for Education)
• establishing a Northern Child Protection Service at the Lyell McEwin Hospital to help to children, young people and their families following suspected or confirmed child abuse and neglect (SA Health)
• developing an Interagency Therapeutic Needs Panel for agencies to connect and plan for children with complex and specialised needs (SA Health and Department for Child Protection)
• consolidating family support services and working towards a new Child and Family Support System (Department of Human Services)
• recruiting more than 30 new case managers with qualifications outside of social work to grow the child protection frontline (Department for Child Protection).

When combined with the federal Royal Commission, the state government is navigating more than 500 child protection recommendations. We are taking steps to consolidate the remaining recommendations into a more holistic and connected program of reform over the next year.