Outcry over Maryborough’s residential youth care home

Queenslanders living in fear in a city gripped by a youth crime wave have shared what it's like to live next to a volatile residential care home as Maryborough’s MP calls for statewide closures.

The teens live in a residential care home.

• Revealed: How teen got from Bundy to Maryborough

From the street it looks like an ideal family home in what is otherwise a quiet neighbourhood, walking distance to the CBD.

But within the walls of a five-bedroom brick home in suburban Maryborough are ticking time bombs – troubled teens with nowhere else to go who end up under the same roof.

While child protection laws prevent the Fraser Coast Chronicle and Sunday Mail from publishing the street address, it can be revealed the home was not only once frequented by a 13-year-old charged over this week’s horror triple fatal but also, that Maryborough MP Bruce Saunders has been trying to get it shut down for many months.

When a reporter went to the street to speak with neighbours, one woman living next door to the home described her frustration since moving to the area from Brisbane to Maryborough two years ago.

Her family was seeking a quieter lifestyle, but soon found her new neighbourhood offered anything but.

In the past two years, the family has had items stolen, windows smashed, tins of food thrown on the roof and copped constant verbal abuse.

It’s gotten to the point that they won’t even leave their shoes on their front veranda.

On one occasion, the woman was confronted by a teen boy who she says was the same 13-year-old charged over the crash which claimed the lives of 52-year-old Hervey Bay nurse Sheree Robertson, former Riverside Christian College student Kelsie Davies, 17, and Reach Church pastor Michale Chandler, 29.

Fraser Coast nurse Sheree Robertson, Reach Church pastor Michale Chandler and teen Kelsie Davies were killed in the horror crash in Maryborough.

“He said, ‘give me a cigarette and I’ll be your best neighbour … don’t give me one I’ll be your worst’,” she said.

The woman said the behaviour of the teens at the home was “just brazen” and they “couldn’t give two hoots” about following rules and supervision seemed non-existent.

Her 87-year-old neighbour had to lock up “like Fort Knox” and her family chased the teens off her driveway.

At any given time, there’s two to three children at the home and she’s noticed her garden hose has even been cut up in parts.

“We hear them all the time, telling their carers where to go,” she said.

“There are things being broken, things being stolen.”

On one occasion, her family had come back from the beach and was unpacking items from the car.

They left the car unattended for two minutes and when they came back, a scooter was missing.

One of the teens living at the care home was later stopped by police and openly admitted he had taken it, the woman said.

“They come and go as they please.”

The sounds of items being smashed in the home are usually soon followed by delivery of replacements such as new TVs.

The woman said she had sat down with managers from the organisation that operates the home – Integrated Family and Youth Service – who were quick to fix a damaged window and fence.

Despite claims the organisation was “working on it”, to date, she’s seen no change in the behaviour of those living at the home.

Another neighbour, who owns a small business in the city, has been broken into and his home pelted with eggs.

“We feel the same as everyone else in the street, we would rather it not be there,” he said.

“The kids seem to come and go.”

A spokesman from IFYS responded to the Chronicle’s request for a response this week.

“Unfortunately, I can’t discuss any matters pertaining to a street location or children in our care, but I can assure you that we are working with local Police, Child Safety and the State member of parliament as we do across all regions that we work in statewide,” he said.

‘They’re not working’: MP wants youth care homes axed

Maryborough’s MP wants youth care homes in their current form scrapped across Queensland.

He’s already called for an inquiry into how the 13-year-old charged over Sunday night’s triple fatal crash, who at the time was in care at Bundaberg, was able to abscond to Maryborough and believes the homes should not exist within the community.

In the interim, he wants his government to take a closer look at the private providers overseeing the homes.

“I don’t think they’re working,” he said.

“I believe if anything they should be run by youth justice and Queensland Correctional Services.

Maryborough MP Bruce Saunders wants youth residential care homes scrapped.

“They have trained professionals.

“I want to know what sort of training was given to people in these houses that look after these youths.”

“Community safety has got to come first.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Children and Youth Justice said while they couldn’t confirm or deny a particular address was a care house, these type of homes were “an important part of a suite of placement options available to children when it is not safe for them to live at home”.

“Residential care placements are only arranged when the preferred placement options of kinship or foster care are unavailable, or it is the best option to meet the young person’s individual need,” the spokesperson said

“We work closely with services in managing and responding to issues of concern raised by people about residential care services in their neighbourhood.

“Actions we might take include engaging with neighbours; changing the mix of children living in the house; reducing the number of children in the house increasing support to the residential and/or young people to reduce any behavioural concerns and in some cases relocating the residential.

The department said illegal behaviour was “unacceptable”, should be reported to police and that all residential care providers were also expected to report incidents to police where appropriate.

“We understand that some communities are anxious about residential care services being delivered in their areas,” the statement read

“All residents have a right to feel safe in their homes and local service providers of residential care services are required to work constructively with residents if issues of concern arise.”