NSW foster crisis – government ‘warehousing’ children in hotels, motels and apartments

NSW children are being left to linger for almost a year inside “inappropriate” motels, hotels and apartments and cared for by rotating teams of shift workers.

A 12-year-old boy has spent more than 330 days languishing in a serviced apartment under the care of the state – and no changes have been made to the vulnerable boy’s living arrangements more than two weeks after the Minister responsible agreed it was “unacceptable”.

The indigenous boy is one of about 90 children in “alternative care arrangements,” removed from their families and forced to stay in motels, hotels, and serviced apartments while bureaucrats find families willing to care for them.

Many of the children are having limited social interaction apart from scheduled trips to therapists and councillors, with some not even attending in-person school classes – a problem likely to have been made even worse due to the Covid lockdowns.

Latest government figures show seven children have died in the past financial year while under the care of the NSW Government. Picture: Bob Finlayson.

A budget estimates hearing last month heard that a boy, 12, with “quite complex needs” had been staying in a serviced apartment for more than 300 days, looked after by support staff on a rotating roster.

He was recently set to return home but “those plans changed … which has delayed his exit from the (alternative care arrangement),” Department of Communities and Justice deputy secretary Simone Czech told the hearing.

“That is clearly unacceptable. In my view, one day is too long,” Ms Czech said.

More than two weeks later, the boy still hasn’t found a more permanent home – taking his total stay in the hotel to at least 334 days.

Greens MP David Shoebridge grilled bureaucrats about the “appalling” treatment of children stuck in temporary accommodation. Picture: NCA Newswire/Gaye Gerard

Hours after The Daily Telegraph broke the story, Premier Dominic Perrottet said he was speaking to Families Minister Alister Henskens to fast-track help for the young boy.

Mr Perrottet said it was “unacceptable” that the 12-year-old was being kept in the apartment for 334 days and counting while the government tries to find him a permanent home.

He acknowledged that more work needs to be done for vulnerable kids in foster care.

“Clearly more needs to be done … It is unacceptable to be in that situation for that period of time so I will be speaking to the Minister … about what can be done or expedited to get resolutions to ensure that situation doesn’t occur more commonly,” he said.

“I think more work can be done on the foster care side of things.”

The Premier’s intervention on the case comes after The Daily Telegraph revealed nothing had changed in the boy’s living situation despite Mr Henskens deeming the arrangement “unacceptable” more than two weeks ago.

Mr Henskens, the legal guardian of vulnerable kids in the care of the state, has tasked his department with developing a better model for complex cases.

He said he had only been in the job for “a relatively short amount of time” but had made the issue a priority.

Greens MP David Shoebridge accused the government of “failing” children in alternative care.

“They have been taken from their families and basically warehoused, with no home and no family,” he said. “Every child deserves to feel loved and empowered.”

Families Minister Alister

Children spend on average 41 days in alternative care, budget estimates heard. Almost a third stay longer than 90 days. Ms Czech told budget estimates that foster carers are in short supply and the bulk of children in apartments were “emergency placements”.

Originally published as NSW foster crisis – government ‘warehousing’ children in hotels, motels and apartments