Qld children in care: Push to increase maximum age to 21

The State Government has been told extending the maximum age of children in care from 19 to 21 will have massive social and financial benefits.

The State Government is being urged to stop “ditching” children in its care once they turn 19, with a new independent analysis revealing that extending the age of care to 21 could save the Queensland economy over $400 million.

Many young people turfed from the care system suffer mental health problems, are hospitalised, become drug-dependent, pregnant, suicide or end up in jail, and Queensland is one of only two states left in the country that has not extended its care arrangements.

A new Deloitte Access Economics report, released today, found that the higher usage of government services by care leavers aged 18 to 21 years would cost the Queensland Government $71 million and the Commonwealth Government $337 million over the next decade.

“Costs to the Queensland Government are primarily attributable to the cost of housing and homelessness services. Hospitalisations, crime and smoking costs collectively account for 40% of total costs,” the report said.

The costs worn by the Commonwealth can be attributed mostly to the high unemployment rate experienced by care leavers aged 18 to 21 – 30 per cent.

The report found that “it is a worthwhile investment for the Queensland Government to fund extended care to 21 years” with a financial return of $3.30 for every $1 spent.

The Queensland Government has extended the allowance paid to foster and kinship carers until children turn 19, but if a child is in residential care they are on their own once they turn 18.

Paul McDonald, chair of Home Stretch – a national coalition of more than 200 community and child welfare organisations – said not one politician on either side of the fence would consider turning off support to their own children once they reached 18 or 19.

“You wouldn’t ditch your own children… and the Government, as the legal ‘parent’ of foster children, shouldn’t either,” he said.

Mr McDonald said the report proved extending care to 21 was not only the right thing it made good economic sense.

“The Queensland Government are writing cheques already for this group; they are just writing them for places where we don’t want them to end up,” he said.

Former foster child Jess Anderson had been in the care system her whole life before she gained guardianship from her foster family at 13.

Through this, she was able to live at home until she was 22, go to university, get her Bachelor’s degree and start her career.

“I wouldn’t have been able to juggle work and university if I moved out at 18,” she said.

“If someone has to move out of home at 18, being able to go to university or TAFE most of the time isn’t a priority. They’re probably just in survival mode.”

Jess said being left to fend for herself at 18 would have really impacted her “self-worth and feeling of belonging at that age”.

“I would’ve felt really rejected and abandoned,” she said.