FAQs about GCYP

We receive enquiries from children and young people in care and lots of different adults in the community.

Adults who live and work with children and young people in care – such as teachers or carers – can contact us to talk about their concerns.

If you are an adult enquirer, we will ask you whether the young person could contact us themselves. Children and young people are encouraged to contact us directly, if they are able to. If they need help to do this, a safe adult that they trust can support them.

We advocate for the rights and interests of children and young people in care but we are not able to provide a crisis response.

If you have a reasonable suspicion that a child has been or is being abused or neglected, please phone the Child Abuse Report Line (CARL) on 13 14 78. Always call 000 in an emergency.

When you phone our office, you will likely speak to one of our administration staff (Mel or Mardy). They will direct your call to one of our advocates, who will talk to you about your concerns and find the right place for you to get the information or help you need.

No, the Guardian for Children and Young People (Penny Wright) is not the legal guardian for children in care. Penny does not have any decision-making power in relation to children and young people in care. Penny’s role is to advocate for and promote their rights and best interests.

The Chief Executive of the Department for Child Protection is the legal guardian for children and young people in care. 

If your enquiry relates to something that a legal guardian would normally manage, such as medical consent, you will need to talk to the individual child or young person’s allocated DCP worker. To find the contact number for the relevant DCP office, visit DCP’s website.

If you are not sure who the allocated DCP worker is, you can contact the DCP Central Complaints Unit on 1800 003 305 to make a general enquiry.

We might tell you that your enquiry is ‘out of mandate’.

An enquiry is ‘out of mandate’ if it relates to a child or young person who is not under the custody or guardianship of the Chief Executive of the Department for Child Protection.

This means that we are not the right place for your enquiry, but we will try to find an alternative service or process that can help you with your concerns.

Children and young people in care have not always had the time and support they need to develop the knowledge, skills or confidence to express their views or advocate for themselves.

The number of children and young people in care who may need advocacy support far outweighs the resources of our office. For this reason, children and young people in care need the adults in their existing network (personal and professional) to advocate for them. Such adults can and should act to ensure that the voice and interests of each child and young person in care are represented. We call this ‘natural advocacy’.

Natural advocacy supports the voice and rights of the child. As well as having their voice heard and their rights addressed, being involved with the advocacy process can help young people to learn valuable lessons – that they have rights, including the right to be heard, that rights can be negotiated to achieve better outcomes and the value of persistence. 

FAQs from Adults

We do not manage or resolve complaints made by adults in relation to the actions or decisions of DCP.

To make a complaint, you can follow the DCP complaints process, which includes speaking with the allocated DCP social worker, or their supervisor or manager.

If your complaint cannot be resolved by the local DCP office, you can contact the DCP Central Complaints Unit on 1800 003 305, who will take further steps to resolve the matter with you.

Before contacting us, we suggest that you first escalate your concerns as far as you can within your own organisation.

The Assessment and Referral Officer will ask you what you have tried already, to assess if our involvement is necessary.

We will also check with you whether the young person could contact us themselves.

We may suggest a few additional things for you to try as a professional and a natural advocate for the young person, before we look to intervene.


We respect young people’s right to privacy so we do not typically initiate contact with young people without their consent.

Children and young people are encouraged to contact us directly, if they are able to. If they need help to do this, a safe adult that they trust can support them.

No, we do not provide support or advocacy for foster and kinship carers. Our role is to advocate for children and young people in care.

If your concerns specifically relate to the rights and best interests of a child or young person in care, you can call us to discuss these types of issues.

For support as a carer, you can contact Connecting Foster & Kinship Carers SA.

We welcome contact from children, young people, and adults involved in the child protection sector, in relation to the broad, recurring issues that affect the rights and best interests of children and young people in care.

We may not be able to directly or immediately pursue a systems issue you raise with us; however hearing about your concerns will provide us with unique insight into the circumstances and processes that affect children in care, generally, and will help us to prioritise issues for systemic advocacy in the future.

Our role is restricted to advocating for and promoting the rights and best interests of the children and young people who are already under the custody or guardianship of the Chief Executive of the Department for Child Protection.

If you have a reasonable suspicion that a child has been or is being abused or neglected, please phone the Child Abuse Report Line (CARL) on 13 14 78. Always call 000 in an emergency.

For financial or social support, ask to speak with a social worker at your nearest Centrelink office.

For other crisis helplines, visit sa.gov.au.

We are not able to provide post care support.

For post care support, contact Elm Place (Relationships Australia, South Australia) on 1800 188 118, or visit their website.

DCP is required to provide or arrange assistance to young care leavers to help them transition to adult life. You can contact the DCP office who was responsible for your case and they can find the right supports for you.

(c) 2021 Guardian for Children and Young People. Terms & Privacy Policy.

We acknowledge and respect Aboriginal People as the traditional owners
and custodians of the land we live and work on, their living culture and their unique role in the life of South Australia.