By Rod Benson
Figures in a new report on children in the welfare system indicate that about 36,000 children and young people in NSW, or two in every 100 kids under 18, have experienced out-of-home care through abuse or neglect, or due to parental illness or inability to cope with parenting. The number of children placed in foster care or with relatives has risen 72 per cent since June 2002.
The current system isn’t working. Case workers are under enormous pressure. The rise in case numbers means higher costs. And above all, there is the emotional and psychological price paid by children and their parents.
Community Services Minister Linda Burney says the government’s new child protection system aims to reduce numbers by putting more emphasis on early intervention.
Another step in the right direction would be to make better use of non-government agencies which are able to offer a wider range of support services.
Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 4 July 2010.
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