AFTER a decade of increasing privatisation of child protection services, the state government is making a come back, "re-entering the market" as a foster care provider.
There will be a return to government-run residential care for children failed by private providers, as well as public and professional foster care.
The Minister for Families and Communities Kate Washington has also announced a ban on the use of unaccredited emergency accommodation, or Alternative Care Arrangements (ACAs) such as hotels, motels and caravan parks.
They will become a "prohibited placement type" within six months, the Minister says.
The announcement comes during Child Protection Week, amid continuing caseworker industrial action, and close on the heels of yet another damning report on out of home care in NSW.
The NSW Children's Guardian, Steve Kinmond OAM, tabled a report on Thursday (August 29) calling for the immediate protection of all of the children kids still living in ACAs until that "fundamentally flawed" part of the system was completely removed.
The state government introduced a targeted team to address the number of kids in ACA's which has been reduced by 72 per cent, down from 139 in November, 2023, to 39 children as at August 16.
In September 2023 that number was 149, two thirds of which (98) were in ACA's arranged by DCJ itself, Mr Kinmond says in his report.
He also highlighted statistics in the NSW Ombudsman's scathing report of the sector, including the sharp increase (142 per cent) in the five years to 2022/23 in the number of children in residential out of home care abused while in care.
That is more than a third (35 per cent) of all children living in residential care with a substantiated allegation of abuse.
More support
The OCG report proposes an expert advisory group for residential care, acknowledging the importance for carers to be well supported and listened to.
It recommends improved data collection and analysis about the carer workforce to "better understand what's working well and what needs improving", Mr Kinmond said.
The OCG also recommends strengthening the Office of the Children's Guardian's complaint-handling powers, creating a platform for children and young people in care to raise concerns about their lived experience directly.
The report involved a targeted review into the circumstances of 55 children, including 15-year-old 'CK' who, at that time, had been in an ACA for five months.
He was moved two-and-half-hours away from his family in an area with a high volume of holiday rentals.
He was moved repeatedly during school holidays and on long weekends, as well as being moved from one ACA provider to another.
He did not have access to supports for his complex needs funded via the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Another child, aged 12 and referred to as 'GW' in the report, had been in an ACA for nine months. He was moved eight times, with a high turnover of staff, was jailed twice, and spent large chunks of time away from school.
The Public Service Association has warned that the state government will be liable for millions of dollars worth of damages to those kids neglected by the system.
In 2019 there were 73 kids suing the NSW Government in the Supreme Court for failure to protect them against child sexual abuse, and in 2024 that number had increased to 687, the union says.
Industrial action
Hunter Central Coast union members walked off the job at 12.30pm Monday (August 2), to draw attention to their campaign.
They are demanding the Minns Government immediately recruit another 500 caseworkers, give caseworkers an immediate and substantial pay rise, and de-privatise foster care.
The latest data shows that the Hunter Central Coast region is at the pointiest end of a statewide crisis and continues to hit new lows.
The percentage of children being seen by a caseworker first fell below the 20 per cent mark 12 months ago, in 2023.
It is now down to 17 per cent, significantly lower than the NSW rate of 21 per cent.
The 2024-25 NSW Budget includes $224 million to expand the recruitment of DCJ emergency foster carers to include longer-term carers, introduce government-run intensive and professional foster care models, and to fund government-run residential care for children "where non-government providers" are unable to offer stable placements.
That funding will also go towards ensuring children living in residential care are supported by high quality accredited providers, and the recruitment of family time workers and additional caseworkers to undertake carer authorisation assessments, the Minister said.
Minister Washington
"Since I became Minister, I've made it very clear that vulnerable children do not belong in hotels, motels or caravan parks with shift workers instead of foster carers," Ms Washington said.
"We acted early, and we're already seeing meaningful results, with the number of children in unaccredited Alternative Care Arrangements falling by 72 per cent in just eight months.
"The former government let the child protection system spiral out of control, and the use of these emergency accommodation providers for vulnerable children skyrocketed.
"The Minns Labor Government's ban on ACAs is a critical step towards making the child protection system sustainable, and will put vulnerable kids on safer paths to brighter futures.
"Under our government, unaccredited emergency accommodation will become a thing of the past, which is long overdue."
