23/10/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FfAwBHK3A/
Imagine being a desperate mother in crisis, pregnant and afraid, or feeling that you simply cannot care for your baby. You reach out for help, hoping someone will listen, guide you and show you what options are available.
Instead, you find yourself being sent from pillar to post, from one organisation to another, hearing things like: Sorry, your town falls outside our designation. You will need to contact another CPO or DSD.
Where does she go from there? Who does she turn to next? And what happens when she runs out of places to ask for help?
Questions are being raised about the geographical allocation of statutory child-protection services and the division of responsibility between Child Protection Organisations (CPOs) and the Department of Social Development (DSD).
When neighbouring suburbs fall under different service providers, how is an ordinary member of the public supposed to know which organisation is responsible for their area? Child protection should not be a maze of organisational boundaries.
Mothers in crisis should not have to navigate a complicated system just to find someone who can assist them. Hospitals, police officers, community workers and concerned members of the public should also be able to identify the correct service provider without confusion. We cannot expect vulnerable mothers to understand the internal structures of the social services system. It is the system’s responsibility to make help accessible.
Who will provide clear public guidance on where mothers, families and communities can access statutory child-protection services, and ensure that effective referral pathways exist when an organisation cannot assist within its designated area?
When mothers in crisis cannot find help, the consequences can be devastating. A system that fails to guide a desperate mother may leave a baby at risk of unsafe abandonment.
