All agencies in the Communities Tasmania mega department now have specific dates for when their agencies will be absorbed into other areas of government as part of a carve up, which is attracting criticism from unions and child safety advocates.
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Former premier Peter Gutwein announced the plan in February with one outcome being the relocation of child safety services into an expanded Department of Education, Children and Young People.
There has since been changes to the three-month transition phase after issues were raised about service continuity, resulting in corporate services and the office of the secretary staying in Communities until October 1, rather than moving across earlier.
It means secretary Michael Pervan will stay in the role - and remain children's guardian - until Communities is dissolved, when he will move across to become secretary of Natural Resources and Environment, formerly DPIPWE.
Staff that will end up in the Department of Premier Cabinet from August 1 were this week told consultation had opened, giving them less than three weeks to discuss the changes.
Child safety services will move across on October 1.
Unions have been promised there will be no redundancies.
Communities Tasmania to face intense scrutiny within weeks
The Commission of Inquiry has provided a backdrop to the ongoing carve up of Communities Tasmania, and hearings next month will focus on one of the department's key issues: Ashley Youth Detention Centre.
The Community and Public Sector Union, Labor, the Greens and child safety advocates have urged the government to put the department changes on hold until the commission reports next year.
CPSU Tasmania assistant secretary Tom Lynch said staff were continuing to raise concerns about the level of consultation and clarity being offered beyond October 1.
"We're sitting here, like everybody else, looking at the Commission of Inquiry that is conducting a detailed investigation into the ways we are protecting vulnerable children, and at the same time the government is making a monumental decision," Mr Lynch said.
"Services are under immense pressure, both internally and externally, they are understaffed and they do not have placements for children on a routine basis. But instead, the government is taking its eye off protection for children and focusing on this restructure.
"They created the department four years ago and pulled everything out of other departments. It took a lot of disruption to create it, now it's being pulled apart again."
Last month, the commission held a week of hearings examining Tasmania's out of home care system, including foster care, with Communities the key department responsible.
Despite concerns being raised about the safety of children in the system right now - and Mr Pervan's comment that he could not guarantee the safety of children - there appeared to be minimal changes.
But the hearings focusing on the Education Department and Launceston General Hospital both resulted in announcements, including safeguarding officers and a governance review.
She said the Ashley hearings will likely raise serious, present day issues that need immediate responses.
"It would be a travesty if the chaos in the department leads to missed opportunities to make changes to safeguard children," Alysha said.
"It appears there's a gaping hole in department leadership at the moment."
What is behind the significant restructure?
Communities Tasmania was established on July 1, 2018, with a goal of "growing and maintaining resilient communities" by bringing together various government services.
Last year, a review of the Tasmanian State Service was handed down with 77 recommendations, including better data sharing across departments, improved leadership structures and better workforce plans.
On the day it was announced Communities Tasmania would be carved up, a department-wide email cited this review as a reason due to its comments about avoiding duplicated services.
The review did not make any major recommendations regarding Communities Tasmania.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff was questioned about the child safety implications as part of the carve up in budget estimates last month, and said the intention was to "reduce the silos" across two departments.
The government pointed to additional funding for child safety officers in the Advice and Referral Line and bringing in a carers register and accreditation system for the out of home care system in response to questions about support for the sector.
In a statement, the government said it would address barriers to information sharing as a result of evidence from the Commission of Inquiry, and believed the expanded Education Department would help to better coordinate resources.
"These changes are about consolidating the major functions supporting children and young people, including child protection and education, to ensure they are aligned under one department from when a child is born, to when they complete their education and training," the statement reads.
"There has been a 40 per cent increase in frontline staffing resources in Child Safety since the beginning of this government is 2014."
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