Minister for Children, Youth and Family Services Rachel Stephen-Smith has welcomed the appointment of the first Chief Practitioner in the ACT's child protection and youth justice services.
The Chief Practitioner will support best practice and help strengthen trust and transparency across a system that supports some of Canberra's most vulnerable children, young people and families.
Following an extensive recruitment process, Maria Kanellopoulos has been formally appointed to the role of Chief Practitioner. Ms Kanellopoulos has been acting in the role since February 2024, when the position was first established, and interim arrangements were put in place.
Minister Stephen-Smith said the Chief Practitioner would improve clinical decisions by strengthening processes within the child protection system to ensure they are as timely, fair, and transparent as possible, with a clear focus on the best interests of children and young people.
"It is exciting to take another step forward in the transformation of our child protection system to provide more effective and restorative services to children, young people and families," Minister Stephen-Smith said.
"The Chief Practitioner will offer extra support to child protection staff who work hard every day to make a real difference to the lives of children, young people and families. They will provide leadership and drive continuous improvement and best practice across the child protection and youth justice sectors.
"This role will help to deliver systemic change to ensure the ACT's children, young people and their families are safe, supported and connected to their culture and identity, their needs are met, and their voices are heard.
"Appointment of the Chief Practitioner continues the Government's significant progress in delivering on the objectives of Next Steps for our Kids – the ACT strategy for strengthening families and keeping children and young people safe. It will help to embed the new approach to early support while building and strengthening partnerships with the community sector."
The Chief Practitioner role aligns the ACT with contemporary standards in child protection and youth justice and helps to ensure we deliver on national commitments, including the National Agreement on Closing the Gap and Safe and Supported – the National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children.
