The number of reports being filed about the abuse of young people living in group homes, and the staff caring for these children, underscores the urgent need to reform NSW’s out-of-home care system, welfare advocates say.
Child protection advocates warn there’s limited oversight for children in privatised out of home care.There are currently 648 children in group residential care homes, in what is termed “intensive therapeutic care”. The register was established in July 2022 to prevent unsuitable people from moving between employers. About 35 per cent of these reportable allegations were also reported to police.
One senior Department of Communities and Justice employee, who did not have permission to speak publicly, said he believed children in residential care were at risk of further abuse.According to data from the Office of the Children’s Guardian, just over a third of all NGO residential care worker staff are labour hire, with many in residential care facilities working on shifts at a ratio of one worker to two children.
It is rare for a child to exit residential care and be adopted or placed under guardianship, with fewer than 20 children getting a permanency outcome in the past three years. Communities and Justice does not have data on permanency placements since the start of 2023, stating there was not enough follow-up to provide figures.