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ABC News
18-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Queensland announces inquiry into 'broken' child safety system that spends $1 billion on residential care
The Queensland government has announced a commission of inquiry into the state's "broken" child safety system that it says is failing children in residential care at cost of $1.12 billion. The 17-month inquiry will be led by former Federal Court judge Paul Anastassiou KC, who was deliberately chosen for his expertise outside the state, the government said on Sunday. Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said the inquiry was critical to reforming the system for the sake of the community, and the 12,500 children currently in state care. "There is no coincidence that we have a broken child safety system and a youth crime crisis in this state, and we are determined to take action on both," he said. Before taking office last year, the Liberal National Party leader had promised to inject millions of dollars into the child safety system. But in the past six months, Child Safety Minister Amanda Camm said the government had uncovered new information that warranted a full, independent investigation. "This is about a generation of children that I believe through the information that I have uncovered has been failed by a broken child safety system," she said on Sunday. The announcement coincided with the release of the Children in Care Census 2024, which showed that almost a third of children in care had unmet needs to support their mental health. The census also found: Of the children living in care, 6,112 are placed with a kinship carer, or someone related or known to the family; 4,173 live with foster carers; and 2,212 are in residential care. The government says residential care costs have surged in the past decade, from $200 million in 2014/15 to $1.12 billion this financial year. It has laid the blame on the previous Labor government's increasing reliance on the Individual Placement Support (IPS), which it said was intended to be a short-term bridging response. Ms Camm said for-profit companies were receiving tens of millions of state funding to provide substandard residential care services. One company was audited after it was revealed it paid dividends of $5.25 million to three shareholders in the past financial year. "That is a company profiting from vulnerable children. That is a company that has taken advantage of a broken system," Ms Camm said. The minister, who took up her role last October, said she had not yet visited one of the for-profit facilities the government is criticising. "It is my plan in the coming weeks to undertake a visit to a for-profit facility and to let them know that currently, with the information that I have, they are formally on notice," she said. In de-identified case studies released on Sunday, a 13-year-old child named as Harriet was taken into care two days after their birth. Harriet has a number of disorders and attends mainstream school but generally only attends three days a week due to refusal, the government said. Since 2020, more than $4.5 million has been spent on Harriet's care, most of which was through an IPS. The total spent on Harriet's foster care was $35,091. Ms Camm said the previous government had focused on recruiting foster carers but not on retaining them. She said carers did not feel supported or properly resourced to give a loving home for needy children. "We want children in this state to know there is hope," she said. "That children can go on to have a good life, that they don't have to turn to a life of crime, that they won't be forgotten." Shannon Fentiman, shadow treasurer and minister for women, said Labor would work "cooperatively and collaboratively" with the commission of inquiry. However, she said it was "disappointing" the terms of reference don't include examining the reasons why more children are coming into care. "If we want to actually build a sustainable system that keeps kids safe, we have to be looking at the root causes of why kids are being neglected in their homes and why parents are unable to care for them," she said. Ms Fentiman said the previous government had spent millions on recruiting foster carers into the system, but the system had been overwhelmed by the number of children entering care. "No one could have predicted the massive surge of kids coming into care during COVID. That has not dropped off," she said. The Children in Care Census 2024 also found that before entering care: In a statement, Tom Allsop, chief executive officer of PeakCare, welcomed the inquiry and urged the government not to repeat mistakes of the past. "If we're serious about addressing the issues in the child safety system in Queensland, we need to start by taking early intervention and prevention seriously. Central to that is making sure children and their families are supported is during those crucial 0-8 years," he said. Luke Twyford, chief executive of the Queensland Family and Child Commission, said he looked forward to seeing how it would "compel action to deliver on reforms already recommended in the many inquiries, reports and inquests" seen to date. "This review process should be the time for a bold rethink of our approach to child safety, of the promise we make to children when they are removed from their birth parents, and how we use public money to deliver lifelong change to our state's most vulnerable people," he said.
Daily Telegraph
15-05-2025
- Daily Telegraph
NSW state care: Shocking claims emerge of drug use, neglect
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News. Shocking claims of a girl injecting her knee with ice on multiple occasions and other serious incidents of disturbing behaviour have prompted calls for more oversight of children living in state care. Multiple sources, including former Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) workers, say the NSW's residential care system is 'broken', with serious allegations of vulnerable children and young teens being neglected and 'spiralling out of control' due to excessive drug use and criminality. The claims have been levelled against organisations including social services charity Life Without Barriers (LWB) and Marist180 Youth care. A former DCJ worker, who worked in the west for more than five years, said they witnessed 'horrific neglect' at a Marist home between 2022 and 2023, including a 13-year-old girl who almost 'lost her leg' due to injecting unsanitary needles into her knee. 'She refused to go to hospital … so DCJ staff encouraged workers to urgently take her to hospital and she ended up having four to five surgeries as the infection was deep.' Sources say children are facing neglect and taking illicit drugs in state care. The source said the same girl had absconded on several occasions, with DCJ receiving reports of her being preyed upon by older men and coerced into having sex with them. 'These young people are the most vulnerable and at-risk in the state.' The former DCJ worker said the girl was moved to another residential care facility in the area to 'protect her' from further harm. But a spokesman for Marist180 said the organisation rejected the claims. 'We fully co-operate with the Department of Communities and Justice as well as the Office of the Children's Guardian to review any matters raised,' he said. A former Life Without Barriers staff member also alleges the charity employed a male residential care worker with a criminal history without doing 'proper background checks' in 2023. 'He took the kids on a joy ride and he was driving dangerously. This scared the kids so much that they asked to get out the vehicle,' the former staff member said. 'The police then found him passed out in his car under the influence of substances. He was meant to be looking after kids at the residence. 'LWB ended up realising the worker had a criminal history as long as your arm. It's a huge oversight and failure on their behalf.' Sources also said there were serious incidents between 2022 and 2023, when children continuously absconded residential care and ran amok. 'They were just spiralling out of control,' one source said. 'The children had lit a fire at Kmart in Dubbo, causing the whole shopping centre to be evacuated and they had also lit fires in the local Orange school.' Multiple sources say NSW's residential care system is 'broken'. Another former DCJ worker said the system was 'broken' and called on the NSW state government to urgently step in. 'The cycle of children facing great harms including death will continue if staffing and other issues aren't fixed,' they said. 'There are staffing issues with one staff member and four high needs kids under their watch.' Child protection advocate Mel James said: 'As (Families and Communities Minister Kate Washington) continues to say that she inherited a broken system, it appears her public comments that this is a system set up to support itself is in fact true.'A spokeswoman from Life Without Barriers said: 'All staff employed by LWB are mandated to undertake a criminal record check prior to employment.' 'Any staff member found to have harmed a child no longer has the right to work for us and may face criminal charges,' she said. 'We have a zero tolerance approach to misconduct of this nature. We refer matters to the relevant authorities including the NSW Police Force, The Department of Communities and Justice and the NSW Ombudsman for investigation.' A Department of Communities and Justice spokeswoman said DCJ funded non-government service providers to deliver support and safety to vulnerable children and young people. 'We require all our providers to act in line with public expectations and in accordance with the terms of their contracts. DCJ continues to monitor non-government service providers to ensure they are meeting its contractual obligations to keep children safe,' she said. The spokeswoman said the NSW Government was undertaking significant reforms to the child protection system. 'DCJ acknowledges that accountability and critique is essential for statutory child protection and out-of-home care systems, and takes all complaints seriously. 'DCJ, however, strenuously objects to personal and identifying information about children and young people being shared in the public domain, where their consent has not been given.' Do you have a story for The Daily Telegraph? Message 0481 056 618 or email tips@
ABC News
14-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Katri Uibu
The national children's commissioner calls for an inquiry into the $2 billion residential care system after an ABC investigation exposed children were being sexually exploited. 2h ago 2 hours ago Tue 13 May 2025 at 10:11pm An ABC investigation into the $2 billion residential care system finds children in three of the biggest states are being preyed upon by child sex abusers when they should be safe in state care. 20h ago 20 hours ago Tue 13 May 2025 at 3:27am Almost 10 years after being directed to regulate unregistered health practitioners to better protect the public, some parts of Australia still haven't got around to it. Thu 27 Feb Thu 27 Feb Thu 27 Feb 2025 at 2:49am There are renewed calls from local councillors and state MPs for Working with Vulnerable People cards to be made mandatory for elected officials. Wed 8 Jan Wed 8 Jan Wed 8 Jan 2025 at 8:57am The ABC speaks to those who took alternative and complementary medicines after a cancer diagnosis and asks how they navigated their beliefs. Wed 30 Apr Wed 30 Apr Wed 30 Apr 2025 at 1:23am Australian billionaire Tim Heath survived a kidnapping attempt by fighting off his alleged abductors who had pretended to be tradies painting the hallway of his apartment building. Thu 24 Oct Thu 24 Oct Thu 24 Oct 2024 at 9:04pm Ten months after their dream of becoming parents turned to tragedy, these families are still fighting a giant IVF company to find out what went wrong. Tue 25 Jun Tue 25 Jun Tue 25 Jun 2024 at 1:33am The headmaster of the private Sydney boys' school, which is preparing to go co-educational, supported a teacher who sent sexually explicit messages to a former female student. Thu 7 Mar Thu 7 Mar Thu 7 Mar 2024 at 9:57pm Travis Mathews' story has never been made public, until now. He's speaking out about his experience at Sydney's Cranbrook School as part of a Four Corners investigation. Tue 5 Mar Tue 5 Mar Tue 5 Mar 2024 at 2:47am As one of the most exclusive boys' schools prepares to go co-ed, women who worked there warn its culture is toxic and needs to change. Tue 5 Mar Tue 5 Mar Tue 5 Mar 2024 at 12:55am About 70,000 people live in Australia unlawfully. To avoid getting caught, Shan had to go underground — a path he warns no-one should walk. Sun 14 Jan Sun 14 Jan Sun 14 Jan 2024 at 10:07pm Despite working since her 16th birthday, Elaine retired with just $45,000 in superannuation. Research shows superannuation is the biggest driver of wealth inequality in Australia – and women have much less of it than men. Tue 2 Jan Tue 2 Jan Tue 2 Jan 2024 at 7:07pm Parents with violent children can face a heartbreaking decision: give them up or continue to live in danger. Experts say more needs to be done to help families facing complex situations. Sun 17 Dec Sun 17 Dec Sun 17 Dec 2023 at 6:47pm "Unsustainable workloads" and children with increasingly complex needs are among the reasons why more and more teachers are considering quitting, according to a new union survey. Fri 24 Nov Fri 24 Nov Fri 24 Nov 2023 at 8:42pm Lenah arrived at a local park, expecting to meet with a child protection worker she thought would help find her family accommodation, but instead she found police and departmental officials lining the street. Wed 25 Oct Wed 25 Oct Wed 25 Oct 2023 at 7:28pm The care of Tasmanian kids taken from their parents by child protection authorities should be outsourced, an inquiry finds, but some experts are worried. Wed 27 Sep Wed 27 Sep Wed 27 Sep 2023 at 10:15pm Child sexual abuse at Tasmania's only youth detention facility "remains a live and current risk" and not a historical problem, a two-year inquiry finds. The state premier says he would close it now if he could but there are no other options for housing child inmates. Wed 27 Sep Wed 27 Sep Wed 27 Sep 2023 at 2:04am Two families who sank their life savings into building their dream homes are unable to move in, with one family left living in a shed and the other couch-surfing. Mon 25 Sep Mon 25 Sep Mon 25 Sep 2023 at 8:40am Geoff is selectively mute and has a fragile X syndrome. When his mother engaged a disability service to take him to work, she didn't know it would use up almost all his NDIS funding. Wed 26 Jul Wed 26 Jul Wed 26 Jul 2023 at 1:53am Erika Vlasic received two reports about a home she wanted to buy. She said one came back with "no big issues", and the other found the property was suited to "demolition". Tue 11 Jul Tue 11 Jul Tue 11 Jul 2023 at 7:26pm Before buying her first home, Anna Jug wanted to exercise her right to have it inspected. It was one of the reasons she missed out on the sale. Thu 22 Jun Thu 22 Jun Thu 22 Jun 2023 at 11:53pm It's the biggest investment most people make, but in the "buyer beware" market, what you see is not always what you get, as these people found out. Thu 22 Jun Thu 22 Jun Thu 22 Jun 2023 at 4:24am Home owner Katy says she's been struggling to meet her loan demands, and fears losing her home. What are the steps between missing a payment and losing your property? Mon 15 May Mon 15 May Mon 15 May 2023 at 11:59pm Child safety departments knowingly leave some children with carers who have had serious concerns raised about them, insiders say. In some states, foster and kinship carers don't even have a working with children check. Tue 9 May Tue 9 May Tue 9 May 2023 at 7:45am Four-year-old Noah was born with profound deafness and has no verbal language. Since entering state care two years ago, he has no longer been able to access his NDIS funding, his grandmother says. Thu 23 Mar Thu 23 Mar Thu 23 Mar 2023 at 1:17am
RNZ News
09-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Govt won't set up new compensation scheme for abuse in state care survivors
crime politics 27 minutes ago The government has opted against setting up a new compensation scheme for survivors of abuse in state care, in favour of putting more money into the current system. Reporter Tim Brown spoke to Charlotte Cook.
