Correctional Services Department, Employees

A question put forward to the Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO regarding the Department of Correctional Services.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: As at 30 June 2006, how many of the following were employed by the Department of Correctional Services, and in what capacity:

1. Social workers;

2. Psychologists;

3. Psychiatrists;

4. Occupational therapists;

5. Mental health nurses;

6. Nurses;

7. Medical officers (excluding psychiatrists)?

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO: I am advised that as at 30 June 2006:

The Department for Correctional Services had a total of 131 FTE Social Worker positions, of those 122.7 were filled, reflecting the Department’s commitment to an ongoing recruitment process. Of the 122.7,

22 were employed in the Intervention Teams within the prisons;

3 were involved with the Throughcare Team;

4 were part of the Rehabilitation Programs Branch;

92.7 were employed across Community Correctional Centres, including a Manager of Community Intervention Programs; and

1 Principal SocialWorker was employed to support the work of the Department’s Institutional Social Workers.

The Department had 27.4 Psychologist positions, of those 23.2

were filled. Interviews were held in late June for the remaining

vacant positions, including a Senior Psychologist to service Port

Lincoln and Port Augusta Prisons. The positions were filled in the

following manner,

5.6 were employed in the prisons;

4.4 were employed across the Community Correctional Centres, including a trainee psychologist under supervision;

2.2 were assessment psychologists, including a trainee psychologist under supervision;

2 were senior roles providing management, clinical supervision and handling complex cases;

7 psychologists employed in the Rehabilitation Programs Branch, one of which is the Manager; and

2 psychology-trained clinicians involved in the assessment, delivery and evaluation of the sex offender and violent offender programs.

Employees with qualifications in social work or psychology but not employed as Psychologists or Social Workers are not included in the figures reported.

Prisoner and offender health services are provided by SA Prison Health Services. The SA Prison Health Service is a unit of the Royal Adelaide Hospital. It provides health services to prisoners including general medical, surgery, pharmacy, nursing, dental, hospitalisation, psychiatric clinics, and emergency care. Therefore, associated medical professionals are employees of the Department of Health.

The general principle applied is that prisoners are to have access to the same standard of health services available to the wider community.

All prisons provide medical services that are staffed each day by medical professionals, except Mount Gambier Prison, South Australia’s only privately operated prison, which has nursing staff available five days per week and a General Practitioner Clinic once per week. Yatala and the Adelaide Remand Centre have infirmaries to which prisoners are transferred for more specialised health care or if 24-hour medical supervision is required.

Psychiatric services are provided through Forensic Mental Health Services, James Nash House. Prisoners in regional areas are transferred to the metropolitan area in the event that psychiatric services are required urgently or on an occupancy basis.

SA Prison Health Services receive approximately 60 hours of face-to-face clinical psychiatrist contact time per month. This amounts to 0.5 FTE.

Occupational Therapist services are organised on a needs basis and are funded by the Department for Correctional Services, but there is no Occupational Therapist employed on a regular basis.

Some 62 nurses are employed by SA Prison Health Services, of which 15 are mental health trained. In addition, Mental Health Nurses are provided to the prisons via an inreach service by the Forensic Community Team; the visiting Forensic Community Team provides 1.0 FTE clinical nurse time in prison.

SA Prisoner Health Service has 3.9 FTE clinical medical staff plus 1.2 contracted community General Practitioner Doctors in rural areas.