Call for foster carers as number of vulnerable children sleeping in hotels or rented apartments tops 200 for the first time

THE number of vulnerable children sleeping in hotels or rented apartments has topped 200 for the first time, prompting Families SA to launch a campaign to recruit more emergency foster carers.

THE number of vulnerable children sleeping in hotels or rented apartments has topped 200 for the first time, prompting Families SA to launch a campaign to recruit more emergency foster carers.

Child protection data published online shows 212 children were housed in emergency accommodation on the night of July 31, up from 190 a month earlier.

The figures are revealed in the first update of a series of statistics Families SA has pledged to make public each month.

Housing children in emergency hotel rooms, rented apartments or caravans costs the state as much as $600,000 a month.

The situation is meant to be temporary, until a foster home can be found, but some children remain in this situation for months.

In response to the spiralling use of emergency care, Families SA has launched a campaign to recruit more emergency foster carers who can take temporary care of at-risk children.

The campaign uses social media, school newsletters and promotional materials at schools, preschools and TAFE campuses.

A spokesman said the number of children Families SA has to remove to safety was “sadly” outstripping the available foster carer or extended family placements.

The online update of key statistics, compared to the previous month, also shows:

HUNDREDS fewer calls to the child abuse report line.

A REDUCTION of more than 2 minutes in the average wait time to make a report by phone — down to 37 minutes and 40 seconds.

MORE than 800 fewer reports made by mandatory notifiers — such as doctors and teachers — using the electronic abuse reporting system.

AN increase of 15 in the total number of children in state care.

The spokesman said notifications often fell during school holiday periods when teachers — who are mandatory notifiers — had less contact with children.

Anglicare SA CEO Reverend Peter Sandeman said South Australia should adopt models used in the US and UK which provide close, daily support to struggling families before a child has to be removed.

“We need some short-term intervention to slow the flow (of children) into out of home care,” he said.

“If you do family preservation and reunification well for difficult families it’s going to be expensive but it’s going to be much cheaper than the cost of ... emergency care.”

Centacare director Dale West, pictured, feared the increase of 22 children in emergency care in one month would become a trend if action was not taken.

“If we’ve got hard data, trends will appear over time which will allow us to make more informed decisions and recommendations about the future,” he said.

Opposition child protection spokeswoman Rachel Sanderson said the growing number of children in emergency care was a direct consequence of “the very poor treatment of many foster carers by Families SA”.

“Until foster carers are genuinely respected and properly supported too many children will be living in motels, caravan parks and boarding houses,” she said.