New directions in child protection and family support in Western Australia: A policy initiative to refocus child welfare practice

There is now considerable evidence from numerous countries that statutory child welfare agencies are being overwhelmed by a massive increase in child protection referrals which require investigation, while there has been a growing failure to develop preventive family support services. This paper describes the changes introduced in Western Australia to address this situation in what has come to be called New Directions in Child Protection and Family Support. The results demonstrate that the changes have led to a significant restructuring of the way the Department of Family and Children’s Services there responds to concerns expressed about children. It is argued that this has had an impact on the proportion of child maltreatment cases which are substantiated and the way responses are prioritized and allocated, and has provided the Department with a more explicit and clearer focus for its work in a period of increasing demand and rapid change.