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2 September 2008
Child Protection Division 2009 Symposium
25 – 26 MAY 2009
SYDNEY NSW
It is now ten years since the commencement of this important jurisdiction. In recognition of this significant milestone, we are holding a Symposium at the Mercure Hotel-Central, Sydney on 25 and 26 May 2009.
The NSW Ombudsman’s child protection division was established in 1999 after the Wood Royal Commission found that NSW workplaces had inadequate systems in place to prevent and respond to child abuse.
This Symposium will consider what we have learned in the last 10 years about preventing child abuse in the workplace and how to address new issues in this area, including the increasing use of Information Communication Technologies.
Attendees will include government and non-government employers covering a range of areas including education, health, juvenile justice, childcare and child protection. Also attending will be academics and peak bodies with an interest in this area.
We will be calling for papers for the Symposium, and will post regular information on our website.
6 August 2008
Ombo Info
The first issue of the Ombudsman's e-newsletter "Ombo Info" Volume 1 Issue 1 is now available on our website.
Ombo Info contains information about the activities of the NSW Ombudsman’s office that may be of interest to anyone involved with the community services sector and the public generally. Subscription is available to anyone.
Click on the link below to access a copy of :
"Ombo Info"
30 July 2008
7th National Investigations Symposium
The seventh National Investigations Symposium is to be held on 5-7 November 2008 at the Manly Pacific Hotel in Sydney. This bi-annual event is co-organised by the NSW Ombudsman, the Independent Commission Against Corruption and the Institute of Public Administration Australia (NSW).
The symposium is an opportunity for public officials who want to maintain and increase investigative knowledge, skills and techniques. It is a significant professional development and networking event for public officials who conduct fact-finding exercises.
For more information, click on the link below:
7th National Investigations Symposium brochure
To register online, click on the link below:
7th National Investigations Symposium online registration
8 May 2008
Special Commission of Inquiry into Child Protection Services in NSW
In November last year, the Government announced the creation of a Special Commission of inquiry into the child protection system in NSW. Since that time, our office has provided a number of submissions relevant to our work, as well as attending several of the Commission’s public sessions. Our submissions, listed below, are available at the Commission’s submissions webpage:
- Part 1: The Children’s Court
- Part 2: Oversight agencies
- Part 2b: Response to DoCS’ submission on the role of oversight agencies
- Part 3: Privacy and exchange of information
1 May 2008
Youth Week 2008 Competition
As part of the 2008 Youth Week activities, the Ombudsman invited legal studies students from schools across the state to answer, in a 100 words or less, "Why is it important for young people to have access to the NSW Ombudsman?"
Gabrielle Yeomans from Stella Maris College, Manly sent in the following entry to win herself a Nintendo Wii.
youth (noun)
1 young person. 2 not always believed. 3 inexperienced. 4 easily misled by others. 5 unaware of their rights. 6 unequipped to deal with legal process and complaints. 7 vulnerable to those in authority.
ombudsman (noun)
1 government watchdog. 2 independent body. 3 unbiased. 4 educator. 5 listener. 6 assist youths, (and other persons) in the investigation of complaints against government bodies.
importance of access (noun)
1 fundamental right and opportunity to be heard. 2 solves issues in appropriate and structured forum. 3 may help others in similar positions. 4 identify problems within organisations and individuals. 5 satisfaction.
Congratulations Gabrielle and well done to all those who entered.
10 April 2008
Guidelines for dealing with youth complaints
Complaint systems are often designed by and for adults and can be intimidating and confusing for young people. For this reason, NSW Ombudsman developed guidelines and a training program for our staff to improve the service they provide to young people that access our office.
As part of Youth Week, we developed Guidelines for Dealing with Youth Complaints and distributed the guidelines to state and national organisations, including other watchdog agencies.“Young people have a voice that should be heard and opinions that should be considered. I hope that these guidelines will help agencies to more effectively engage with young people and as a result not only improve their practices but also make better and more inclusive decisions,” stated the Ombudsman, Bruce Barbour.
To access a copy of the guidelines, click on the link below:
Guidelines for dealing with youth complaints
25 February 2008
2008 Corruption Prevention Network Awards
The Corruption Prevention Network issues annual awards for excellence in corruption prevention and detection. Our organisation is an ex-officio member of the CPN organising committee.
For 2008, nominations are available in two categories:
- Corruption prevention tool or technique –this category recognises the development, implementation and /or application of a specific tool or technique by an organisation
- Corruption prevention program – this category recognises the implementation of a suite of corruption resistance strategies in an integrated fashion within organisations.
The awards are open to all organisations including public and private businesses, not for profit organisations and state local and commonwealth government agencies.
The awards will be announced at the CPN Forum on 11 September 2008 in Sydney where the winners will showcase their innovative strategies.
The Nomination Guide contains further information about the awards and a detailed template for applying for an award. Nominations close Friday 11 July 2008.
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