We need to talk about children who die in care.

                                             




We need to talk about children who die in care.

 

Children that end up in state care are 5 times more likely to die in care than those who have never had contact with the child protections system.

 

Yes ……read it again…….. Children that end up in state care are 5 times more likely to die in care than those who have never had contact with the child protections system.

 

In NSW in 2020 …. 100 children known to the state died.  This was a number that increased for the third year running.  Five of these children, were in out of home care.  Babies accounted for 45% of the deaths and 2 children, aged as young as 12, took or were suspected to have taken their own life. 

 

And it gets worse……

 

47% of the children in care are Indigenous.

 

Each year, more than 600 children living in state care in Victoria are reported missing to police.  Some shelter under train stations, while others love rough in city laneways, hidden in plain sight.

 

10 Children were collectively reported missing to police 450 times.  The youngest was 13.  On average, each of these 10 children were reported missing to police weekly, for an entire year.  70% of the children reported missing from care are girls.

 

The Minister responsible for Victoria’s system of out of home care concedes children are not always safer in residential care than they would be with the parents they were removed from.

 

Instead of parents – children in state care have foster carers, or “workers” that work with them every day.  In residential settings where there is a high turnover of staff, some children can have over 140 different “workers” work with them in a year.

 

Instead of siblings – children in care live with different children each time they are moved.

 

Instead of safety – children are physically and sexually assaulted, whilst in some homes, loud alarms would go off if they leave their room at night.  

 

Instead of hugs – strict rules designed to protect children means that children can go many years without ever being hugged.

 

There is no wonder that children want to return home to people who have perpetrated violence, neglect, and exploitation on them.

 

Now don’t get me wrong.  I have worked in every area of this industry.  Direct care worker in homes, I’ve managed homes, I’ve managed and trained foster carers.  I have sat on and in enquiries into deaths in care, have removed children from their families, registered and deregistered foster carers and collected children from carers homes that they have assaulted and carried out significant property damage.

 

The problem is – this is not the answer.

 

The answer is not in the “system” that supports out of home care.

 

The answer has to be in keeping the kids with their families.

 

Kids want to be with their families.

 

I worked with a young girl who had. Been sexually abused and neglected by multiple member s of her family.

 

She just wanted to return to her mum.  This young girl ran away again and again.  Mum was where she wanted to be.

 

The money that is spent on placing a young person in the out of home care system – and then the resources that are spent as they work through the trauma of being part of the system as adults…… needs to be spent within the family home.

 

Put support in the home!  24/7 if needed.  This is where the answer is.

 

This is because ALL families want what is best for their child.  Sometimes they have no idea on how to provide it.  Sometimes they have no idea what it looks like.  Some will need support for a short time and some for a long time.  Some will need close “supervision” to ensure that children remain safe.

 

We need to do what is necessary.  

 

Because what we are doing now does not work – families work.  They just need the support to make it work.

 

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