The Western Australian government admits it failed to meaningfully implement school attendance plans recommended following child suicides in the state's north.
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Education Minister Sue Ellery has apologised after an inquiry found serious deficiencies in the planning, implementation and oversight of the plans for students in Halls Creek who were identified as being at severe attendance risk.
The senior McGowan government minister has also apologised to parliament for having previously lauded the "amazing work" achieved by the program.
Poor school attendance has been a recurring theme among child suicide deaths in the Kimberley region.
The WA Ombudsman in 2019 reviewed the suspected suicides of two students at Halls Creek District High School in the preceding two years.
It recommended the education department develop comprehensive and documented school attendance plans for children in Halls Creek by the end of July 2020.
But an ABC report last month found the department had failed to follow up with families on the plans, many of which were described as incomplete and lacking in detail.
Ms Ellery ordered her department to launch an investigation, the results of which were tabled in state parliament on Thursday.
The report found there were "multiple points of failure" with developing and executing the plans, exacerbated by many families leaving Halls Creek because of COVID-19 fears.
A strategy to explain the purpose of the plans was neither considered nor developed.
"The inquiry was advised that in some cases, the development of individual attendance plans without prior information, consultation and family visits triggered shame," the report said.
The education department has made nine recommendations focused on better planning, training and communication, all of which have been accepted by the government.
"I would like to apologise to the family of the Halls Creek student whose death triggered the review by the Ombudsman," Ms Ellery said.
"That death should have served to respectfully improve student engagement. The report I am tabling today shows that it did not.
"The opportunity to honour that loss of life was wasted."
Ms Ellery said she had questioned her department about the strategy at various points but had only recently learnt the extent of the problems.
"I have expressed my disappointment to the director-general, but I also accept that I could have pushed harder earlier," she said.
"I apologise for not doing that."
The department will support the Halls Creek school to establish an Aboriginal advisory group and employ a cultural advisor and two Aboriginal engagement coordinators tasked with planning culturally appropriate ways to improve attendance.
A 2019 inquest into the suicide deaths of 13 Aboriginal children and young people in the Kimberley region found truancy was a common theme.
Aged as young as 10, the youths had upbringings marred by intergenerational trauma, poverty, exposure to significant alcohol abuse and domestic violence.
Lifeline 13 11 14
Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25)
Australian Associated Press
