16Responsibilities of the Secretary

16 Responsibilities of the Secretary (1) Without limiting any other responsibility of the Secretary under this Act, the Secretary has the following responsibilities— (a) to promote the prevention of child abuse and neglect; (b) to assist children who have suffered abuse and neglect and to provide services to their families to prevent further abuse and neglect from occurring; S. 16(1)(c) amended by No. 6/2024 s. 71(a). (c) to work with community service providers to promote the development and adoption of common policies on risk and need assessment for vulnerable children and families; S. 16(1)(d) repealed by No. 17/2023 s. 43. S. 16(1)(e) amended by No. 6/2024 s. 71(b). (e) to work with other government agencies and community service providers to ensure that children in out of home care receive appropriate educational, health and social opportunities; (f) to publish and promote a Charter for children in out of home care to provide a framework of principles to promote the wellbeing of those children; S. 16(1)(g) substituted by No. 61/2014 s. 7. (g) to provide or arrange the provision of services to assist in supporting a person under the age of 21 years to gain the capacity to make the transition to independent living where— (i) the Secretary has had parental responsibility for the person; and (ii) on the Secretary's parental responsibility ending, the person is of an age, or intends, to live independently; (h) to conduct research on child development, abuse and neglect and to evaluate the effectiveness of community based and protective interventions in protecting children from harm, protecting their rights and promoting their development; (i) to lead the on-going development of an integrated child and family service system; (j) to give effect to any protocol existing between the Secretary and an Aboriginal agency. (2) The statement of responsibilities of the Secretary under this section does not create, or confer on any person, any right or entitlement enforceable at law. (3) The matters that may be addressed in the Charter for children in out of home care may include— (a) the protection and enhancement of a child's identity and sense of self; (b) treatment in care; (c) quality of placement; (d) support and provision of services. (4) The kinds of services that may be provided to support a person to make the transition to independent living include— (a) the provision of information about available resources and services; (b) depending on the Secretary's assessment of need— (i) financial assistance; (ii) assistance in obtaining accommodation or setting up a residence; (iii) assistance with education and training; (iv) assistance with finding employment; (v) assistance in obtaining legal advice; (vi) assistance in gaining access to health and community services; (c) counselling and support. S. 16A inserted by No. 29/2010 s. 14.