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More foster children adopted after government reforms, Pru Goward says

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Category: Child Protection NSW media and newspaper articles

Created: Sunday, 02 July 2017 17:40

Written by Han Nguyen - Essential Kids

For Meredith and Elliott Gordon, life has dramatically changed since welcoming their daughter, Kathleen, into the family.

The West Ryde couple first met their daughter when she was eight months old and came into their care as a foster child.

Last November, after caring for her for two years, they adopted Kathleen – a process that would have taken longer if it was not for reforms the NSW government introduced last year to encourage foster parents to adopt the children in their care.

NT girl placed in care 50 times in six years was denied school and medical treatment

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Category: Child Protection Northern Territory media and newspaper articles

Created: Monday, 29 May 2017 22:08

Written by AAP

A Northern Territory woman who was placed into child protection more than 50 times over six years has told a royal commission she feels let down by the system.

A Northern Territory girl was placed in child protection more than 50 times over six years, during which she missed years of school, went to the dentist just once and wasn't treated for scabies, the royal commission has been told.

Amber alert mother issues call to arms to stand up against Queensland health system

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Category: Child Protection Queensland media and newspaper articles

Created: Saturday, 29 April 2017 22:24

Written by Toby Crockford - Brisbane Times

Jacinda "Cini" Walker has called on supporters to stand up against the Queensland health system during a Facebook live video update on Saturday.

Cini Walker, the mother of four-year-old Chase Walker-Steven who was at the centre of an Amber Alert on Friday, has issued a call to arms for her supporters to stand up against the Queensland health system.

Bendigo child protection worker on the run after police raid at his home

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Category: Child Protection Victoria media and newspaper articles

Created: Friday, 10 February 2017 19:44

Written by The Age

Cameron Allan, 44, is wanted for allegedly knowingly possessing child pornography.

It is believed Allan may be driving a white Ford Mondeo sedan with the Victorian registration number YVJ 107.

The He may be heading towards the New South Wales area of Wagga Wagga and Gundagai.

Anyone with any information should phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or log a confidential crime report to www.crimestoppersvic.com.au

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/child-protection-worker-on-the-run-after-police-child-porn-raid-at-his-home-20170210-gua9mc.html

NT children's commissioner calls for residential foster care homes to be shut down

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Category: Child Protection Northern Territory media and newspaper articles

Created: Wednesday, 16 November 2016 15:49

Written by James Oaten - ABC News

The NT Children's Commissioner wants residential foster care services to be shut down in the Northern Territory, saying many providers fail to give the support children need.

Colleen Gwynne says residential foster care, which houses children who cannot be placed with families, is not the best model and an alternative should be found.

The system came under heavy criticism after the ABC's Four Corners program revealed claims in other states that private foster care companies repeatedly failed to support staff and children.

NT Children's Commissioner Colleen Gwynne said similar stories existed in the Northern Territory.

"I would say it's not a good model," Ms Gwynne said. "We often let young people down."

NT child abuse reports skyrocketing, children's commissioner report shows

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Category: Child Protection Northern Territory media and newspaper articles

Created: Wednesday, 23 November 2016 15:41

Written by Neda Vanovac and Eleni Roussos - ABC News

Almost 1,800 children have been abused or neglected in just one year in the Northern Territory, and Territory Families failed to protect almost a quarter of them from more abuse, a new report has revealed.

The NT children's commissioner has released her annual report, finding that the number of notifications potential harm to children has more than doubled in the past five years.

Last year alone, there was a 20 per cent spike in reports, with 20,465 notifications received by the department for 10,851 children, or almost two reports per child.

Almost half of all notifications related to neglect, and almost of third of cases related to emotional abuse.

THOUSANDS of children from troubled homes will be returned to their families under a Coalition Government.

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Category: Child Protection NSW media and newspaper articles

Created: Wednesday, 02 March 2011 22:52

Written by Gemma Jones- Daily Telegraph

The Coalition plans to cap the removal of children for the next four years before DOCS would be asked to slash numbers by more than 20 per cent.

Under the plan, most of the more than 16,000 NSW children in foster care would be looked after by charities and the private sector.

Policy documents show the handover to the non-government sector would begin immediately if the Coalition wins the election.

The policy revelation came as the Coalition yesterday pledged a $120 million fighting fund for preventive health initiatives a day after The Daily Telegraph's People's Parliament unanimously voted for health policies to focus on prevention measures.

Liberal Community Services spokeswoman Pru Goward said that, despite fewer removals, children would be safer.

She said DOCS was now so overloaded it was failing.

Parents would be asked to enter contracts and prove they had combated problems such as drug and alcohol abuse and domestic violence for a period of up to two years before their children could be returned.

A family preservation model would be adopted, with a focus on early intervention.

Foster crisis: Kids knowingly sent to carers with serious criminal charges

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Category: Child Protection NSW media and newspaper articles

Created: Sunday, 18 September 2016 16:22

Written by Jane Hansen - News Limited

VULNERABLE foster children were placed in homes with carers who had serious criminal records, including rape, ­assault and drugs charges, with the full knowledge of the state government.

The Sunday Telegraph has obtained a leaked 2010 internal report that raises concerns with senior management in Family and Community Services (FACS) about five carers with serious criminal records.

One foster carer on the mid-north coast had an 18-page record, including two convictions for rape, three for assault, five for stealing, four for domestic violence and one of malicious wounding. The carer had done significant jail time.

The carer and his wife were paid $128,000 in foster payments each year to care for 10 children from 2005 onwards.

Man extradited from Qld to NSW over sickening sexual assault of 7yo girl

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Category: Child Protection NSW media and newspaper articles

Created: Tuesday, 17 January 2017 21:31

Written by Shanee Dobson - MyGC.com.au

A man has been charged with several child sex offences following an ongoing investigation into the sexual assault of a 7-year-old girl in his care six years ago.

The 45-year-old man, who was wanted on a warrant over the alleged child assault, was arrested in Ipswich on unrelated matters last Friday and extradited back to NSW.

DOCS removed child by mistake

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Category: Child Protection NSW media and newspaper articles

Created: Sunday, 27 July 2014 18:34

Written by ABC News

The State Opposition says mistakes made by the Department of Community Services over the removal of a young girl from her family should have been fixed earlier.

The Opposition's community services spokeswoman Pru Goward says a five year old girl was wrongly removed from her family and the mistake was only rectified after the intervention of the deputy ombudsman.

Brisbane mother jailed for child cruelty after toddlers found covered in faeces and living in squalor

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Category: Child Protection Queensland media and newspaper articles

Created: Tuesday, 29 March 2016 22:17

Written by ABC

A Brisbane mother whose children were left unsupervised in faecal-covered squalor has been sent to prison.

The 22-year-old pleaded guilty to four charges of cruelty and negligence in the Brisbane's District Court.

She broke down in tears as she was sentenced to 12 months' jail.

Royal Commission into SA child protection demands hundreds of changes after pedophile’s horrific crimes

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Category: Child Protection South Australia media and newspaper articles

Created: Monday, 08 August 2016 16:37

Written by AAP

South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill has urged voters to trust in his ability to fix child protection in the state, after a royal commission demanded hundreds of changes to the tragedy-plagued system.

But the opposition says Mr Weatherill is inextricably linked to the serious failings identified and has no choice but to resign.