Shock rise in kids at risk in residential care despite pledge to get numbers to ‘near zero’

The number of young kids in the state’s troubled residential care system has ballooned by almost 10 per cent in just three months, with dozens of them aged four and under.

The number of young kids in the state’s troubled residential care system has ballooned by almost 10 per cent in just three months.

Minister for Child Safety Craig Crawford has pledged to get the number of children aged under 10 years old in residential care to “near zero”, but quarterly data shows as of March 283 children in that age range were housed in residential care – including 31 aged four or under.

It meant there were now 1759 children in residential care homes across Queensland.

The rising figures were released after The Courier-Mail revealed shocking stories of children being harmed and living in squalid conditions in residential care earlier this month, prompting Mr Crawford – who was parachuted into the portfolio in May – to order a review of the under-fire system.

Distressingly, just 35 per cent of investigations into children at risk have commenced within the required time frame, compared with 43.6 per cent 12 months ago, with more than a third of investigations not completed after more than 100 days.

Queensland Minister for Child Safety Craig Crawford. Picture: Dan Peled / NCA NewsWire

A Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services spokeswoman said “every child deserves to be supported”, and the state’s residential care services “are an important part of a suite of care arrangements to meet the needs of children and young people in the child protection system”.

“The vast majority (almost 85 per cent as at 31 March, 2023) of children and young people in care live with foster or kinship carers,” she said.

“Residential care provides a safe and supportive place for some children and young people in care, who cannot safely live at home with their parents and families due to significant neglect and trauma and for whom a family-based care arrangement is not suitable.

“Earlier this month Minister Crawford announced a review of the Queensland residential care system. This review includes a focus on how children aged under 12 years old, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, and children with disability are supported by the state’s residential care system.”

But the LNP seized on the new figures, with child safety spokeswoman Amanda Camm saying that painted a “grim picture of Queensland’s Child Safety system”.

The kitchen pantry of a Gold Coast home where two teenage brothers live in residential care under Child Safety.

The fridge at a home where Gold Coast teenage boys are in residential care under the watch of Child Safety.

“It’s a national disgrace that children are being left in unsafe situations because residential care and foster care are in chaos, and the Child Safety department is in crisis,” she said.

“Vulnerable children and carers have been caught up in the chaos and crisis of a Labor government that has stopped listening and stopped acting.

“There is no acceptable excuse for children suffering significant harm, children under the age of 10 being shunted into residential care and child safety investigation requests languishing on a desk.

“Unless this government takes urgent action and intervenes, more children are facing an uncertain future.”

The department spokeswoman said demand on child protection services remained high, but the department was “committed to ensuring our response to vulnerable children and families is as strong as possible”. “Child safety officers continue to prioritise the most urgent cases, with 93.5 per cent of cases with a 24-hour priority commencing on time, as at 31 March 2023.”