19,000 unresolved children-at-risk cases in NSW closed without action in past two years

Thousands of children at significant risk of harm are having their cases prematurely shut down and ignored by the state, as a former foster child tells how her cries for help went unanswered. Shock data reveals kids in danger in your community.

Former foster child ‘Angela’ (not her real name) recounts her heartbreaking story of neglect in the foster system. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Thousands of vulnerable children, all found to be at significant risk of harm, are having their cases prematurely shut down and ignored by the state, exclusive data obtained by The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.

Disturbing internal data, seen by this masthead, reveals that since March 2022 an estimated 19,000 cases were closed with “unresolved safety or risk issues”.

An anonymous Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) worker said many case workers felt they’d been handed an impossible task.

“We are closing matters where there is domestic violence and drug use, and we can’t link these families with services,” he said.

“I once closed a case where a mother had been hospitalised due to DV instances, the children had been exposed to years of horrific violence — it was closed without creating any change for the family.”

‘Angela’ (not her real name) made multiple cries for help during her time in foster care. Picture: Jonathan Ng

The worker said a lack of resources and pressure for DCJ district directors to meet “unrealistic targets” was behind the crisis.

“The quantity of targets is impacting the quality of assessments,” he said.

“Our face-to-face assessment numbers have become so unrealistic that in 2022 and 2023 almost no DCJ community services centres saw the number of children they were required to.

“This is why they are closing cases that haven’t been resolved.

“We are just doing surface-level child protection just for the point of saying, ‘Look how many families we saw’.

“It’s hard to see the point when you do an assessment with these families when you know there is no one to keep working with them. In many instances, it feels like we are going out to do an assessment just for an assessment sake.

“It’s like a doctor claiming to see thousands of patients each year without providing them with any treatment.”

It comes as new data reveals more than 228,000 reports of children at risk of significant harm (ROSH) have been raised in the last financial year — the reports relate to 112,000 children.

However the number of children and young people seen by a case worker in that time has dropped 12 per cent, to just 27,782.

Unable to meet the rising tide of cases reported, case workers say they have resorted to closing cases before a representative of the agency even visits the child.

“Case workers across the state are using a reporting mechanism known as ‘closed due to competing priorities’ as a stopgap inside the DCJ child tracking system,” another case worker, who also did not wish to be named, said.

“This is being used for all sorts of cases, from situations where we do not have capacity to go and assess the child’s situation due to staff shortages to situations where another government agency has been referred but the wrong information has been entered.

“We simply do not know how many kids are being left at risk because the system we use is a shambles.”

Families and Communities Minister Kate Washington. Picture: Monique Harmer

The data also exposed crisis hotspots across NSW, with 28,000 reports in southwest Sydney DCJ district in the last financial year.

More than 28,000 cases were also reported in the Hunter; 17,000 in the Nepean district; and more than 16,000 cases were reported in the Western Sydney district.

More than 15,600 reports were raised in the Western NSW DCJ district, while there were 8000 cases in communities across the Northern Sydney district — a number which has more than tripled in the past decade.

Families and Communities Minister Kate Washington told The Sunday Telegraph she “inherited diabolical issues in the child protection system”.

Ms Washington said significant workforce shortages meant that “fewer children were seen face-to-face by case workers”, with the number of kids being seen by a DCJ caseworker dropping to a five-year low.

“Everyone working in the child protection system knows that it is broken,” she said.

“We must create a system where caseworkers feel valued, so vulnerable children are kept safe and families are supported.”

A DCJ spokeswoman said the NSW government was working to “reform the child protection system”.

“Every child who’s been reported as being at risk of significant harm has their report reviewed by DCJ,” the spokeswoman said.

“When DCJ receives a report about a child, we identify when there are already supports and services involved with the family that reduce the risk to the child or young person.

“In these circumstances, a face-to-face assessment may not be necessary to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the child.”

The spokeswoman argued that not all children reported at ROSH “require, or are best supported by, a face-to-face assessment as many families are also supported by other services”.

“In other cases, DCJ may work with local community partners, including health services and schools to ensure that a collaborative and co-ordinated response is provided to children and families from the local service system to meet immediate need and reduce risks as quickly as possible.”

A DCJ spokesperson added that comprehensive, de-identified child protection data was available in the department’s annual statistical report, and said internal data did not always reflect the full picture.

“DCJ collects various raw data inputs across the system for operational reasons. This data is not made publicly available as it is incomplete and contains information that may be inaccurate,” the spokesperson said.

‘I WAS MADE TO EAT FROM A DOG BOWL’

As a child, all Sydney teenager “Angela” (her real name can’t be revealed) wanted was for the Department of Community and Justice to listen to her.

She grew up in the foster system and spent years living under the roof of carers who abused her. From the age of six to eight, the now 19-year-old was forced to eat from dog bowls, sit outside for hours, screamed at, and had all of her hair cut off.

There were times when she was forced to sleep in a urine soaked bed, after she had wet herself in fear.

‘Angela’ is still traumatised by her experiences as a child in foster care. Picture: Jonathan Ng

The terrified child, barely old enough to tie her shoelaces, prayed the people around her would notice what was happening and help. And they did. Teachers, neighbours, and concerned onlookers all made reports to authorities.

But nothing happened.

“I knew people were listening, but I never saw any changes,” she said.

It took 18 months and an avalanche of reports before she was finally removed from the carer. By that point, the damage was done. She is still traumatised by her experiences as a child.

While she cannot reveal her identity due to NSW child protection legislation, she wants her story known.

“Why didn’t my life matter?” she said.

“Was I only worth money to the foster agency? My childhood and sense of self was destroyed by all the people whose job was to keep me safe.

“It’s soul destroying to know that it continues and I will spend my life trying to change it.”

The DCJ said it cannot comment on individual cases because of privacy issues.

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