More than a third of Moreton Bay children in the foster care system have at least one parent battling an Ice addiction.
Statistics from the Department of Child Safety found that as of September 30, 2019, there were 2318 children in care across the Moreton region.
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Of those, 35 per cent had a parent with a current or previous record of methamphetamine use.
Moreton South patrol group police Inspector Craig White said methamphetamine use was common throughout the region and “had a huge impact on the entire family unit”.
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“Other consequences related to its use are crime, domestic violence, homelessness and poor education outcomes – it is a real social problem,” Insp White said.
Child Safety Minister Di Farmer said the demand for child safety services was increasing.
“Ice is now a major factor in 39 per cent of cases where a child must be taken into care, an increase of more than 30 per cent in just two years,” Ms Farmer said.
“Ice usage continues to rise across the state at an astronomical rate and the family situations we’re working with are increasingly challenging.”
Across the state the department received one call every four minutes about a child suspected of being at risk of harm.
ICE USE A GROWING CONCERN IN MORETON BAY
Since 2015 the state government has allocated
$740 million to Child Safety – including 600 new staff.
“Despite the record investment our system faces increasing pressure,” Ms Farmer said.
The number of investigations launched by Child Safety in the past year was up 7 per cent.
“The number of investigations commenced increased by 1511 when compared to the same time period last year,” Ms Farmer said.
Ms Farmer said as part of the state’s 10 year program of reforms they were working to intervene early “so that children can stay safely with their families”.
“The focus on early intervention means we can nip small problems in the bud before they become big problems that can put children at significant risk of harm,” Ms Farmer said.
“There are now fewer children in need of protection by Child Safety at the end of investigations.”
This includes providing funding for drug and alcohol support services.
In 2019 a total of 1459 families, across Queensland, became registered foster carers for the first time, an increase of 15 per cent – bringing the total number of carers to 5415.
For more information on fostering phone 1300 550 877.
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