Minister for Families and Communities responds to Department of Communities and Justice Western NSW District's failure to meet accreditation standards

In a scathing email the Office of the Children's Guardian said the Department of Communities and Justice Western NSW District - which covers Dubbo, Orange, Parkes and surrounds - would not have its accreditation to provide out-of-home care renewed after it expired on Thursday.

The decision came after the regulator found the agency "did not demonstrate minimum compliance with accreditation criteria" in five areas.

These included infrequency of visits from caseworkers and minimal evidence of home visits, parents being left in the dark on decision-making and a lack of evidence that parents are provided with information about their child's care arrangements.

Responding to concern about the agency's failure to be reaccredited and what this will mean for almost 550 at-risk young people in the region, Minister Maclaren-Jones said such a situation was not unusual.

"It is not uncommon for the regulator to provide feedback of this nature to providers and to allow them additional time to implement improvement plans that address this feedback," she told the Daily Liberal.

"There are more serious interventions available to the regulator such as providing an intention to cancel accreditation, which the Office of the Children's Guardian is not considering in this case."

Asked about allegations from union officials that stressful working conditions for caseworkers and understaffing could be behind the district's failure to meet accreditation standards, Ms Maclaren-Jones did not comment.

She also did not comment on criticism from staff that they feel "silenced" on the matter.

The Office of the Children's Guardian has instructed the Western NSW district to provide an action plan this month, outlining areas which require improvement.

Once the plan is accepted, the department will have up to 12 months to apply the changes and work towards implementing the regulator's feedback to regain full accreditation.

"I am confident that the Department of Communities and Justice's plan will uphold the minimum standards for all children in its care," said Minister Maclaren-Jones.

As well as this, a spokesperson for the department said they will provide "intensive support" to caseworkers in the district to "ensure they are equipped to support and monitor practice that meets the standards".

The department will also be increasing its own monitoring processes including increasing the amount of auditing, integrity checks and sampling to measure improvements and ensure weaknesses are addressed effectively.

While the district works towards regaining accreditation, Ms Maclaren-Jones says there will be "no operational impacts to service delivery"; meaning "children and families will continue to receive the support they need".

"I sincerely thank the caseworkers who show incredible resilience and professionalism in carrying out their work," she said.

"Their dedication makes a real difference to vulnerable families every day across NSW."

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