Dr Philippa Byers1, Dr Mianna Lotz
1Caspa Services Ltd, Lismore, Australia
Biography:
Dr Philippa Byers has a research and practice quality role within an OOHC agency. She has a PHD in Philosophy and has previously taught moral philosophy and applied ethics at several Australian universities, and has peer-reviewed publications in ethics, the ethics of dementia care and narrative therapy. She is also a qualified social worker and has worked in a range of client-facing roles within the OOHC sector.
Abstract:
A subset of young women under 18 years of age become mothers while in Out of Home Care (OOHC). These young mothers have an agency caseworker responsible for oversight of their care, with the State bearing legal ‘parental responsibility’ for them. As mandatory reporters, caseworkers have a legal obligation to report risks of harm, including to these young women’s babies. Existing research and evidence indicates that early life trauma, entry into care, and OOHC experience will likely identify these young women as potentially unsafe mothers with at-risk babies, in turn putting them at heightened risk of having their babies removed as well as complicating caseworkers’ provision of support.
Negative impacts of mandatory reporting obligations have likewise been identified and explored in existing research. But practice-informed risk mitigation strategies have not yet been examined as potential inclusions in risk reporting requirements for this cohort of young women. In this presentation we discuss the likely ethical, legal, and practical implications associated with potential inclusion of risk mitigation strategies as part of mandatory reporting in this area of OOHC practice.
Presentation slides PDF – Click here