Lack of available places sees some of Victoria’s most vulnerable children kept in hotels

Daniel Andrews has defended Victoria’s child protection system, despite the sheer amount of vulnerable kids being kept in hotels.

More than 60 of Victoria’s most vulnerable children are being kept in hotels, motels and other accommodation.

The state government is defending Victoria’s child protection system despite revelations vulnerable children are being kept in hotels and motels because there’s nowhere else for them to go.

The child protection system is being pushed to breaking point and those in state care, including some in primary school, are regularly kept in conditions that advocates have slammed as not good enough.

Known as “contingency placements”, these situations often involve children being put in hotel rooms and motels and supervised by department staff who are in neighbouring rooms. Alternatives can also include government-owned and rented homes and serviced apartments.

Premier Daniel Andrews said he does not see contingency placements as a “fault in the system”.

“There’s nothing wrong with having a contingency, particularly when this is the most complex and the most human of tasks,” Mr Andrews said.

“I will not apologise for putting those kids into, yes, a short term contingency arrangement because it would be unsafe to leave them with their parents.

“We move them through that contingency arrangement as fast as we can to get them into more stable accommodation.”

The Premier said it was incredibly challenging to predict the number of children who require out of home care.

“Sometimes we’ll finish up with more kids that we have to take care of one year versus the previous year, one month versus the previous month.

“That’s why it’s called contingency. It’s basically a safety net so that we can, on a temporary basis, look after those kids, keep them safe, and then find a more permanent placement for them in a loving, stable environment.

“It’s a relatively small number in the scheme of things and I want to assure every Victorian that those kids, whether they’re in contingency care, or any other model of care, their safety is the number one priority.”

Whistleblowers have become increasingly frustrated about regularly having to place children into hotels.

Child Protection and Family Services Minister Colin Brooks said Victoria operated the best child protection program in the country, with the lowest number of children in state care.

“Victoria has the lowest rate per capita of children in out of home care of any state and territory in the country,”he said.

“As a last resort, children fall in situations where there’s a safety issue. And so, placing those children in a contingency arrangement is really about finding a better location.”

Mr Brooks said children placed in hotels made up less than one per cent of all cases.

“The best child protection system is the family and we we recognise that the best thing we can do is invest in early intervention,” he said.

But the Commission for Children and Young People believes the issue is now worse than it was in 2018-19, when a report revealed a daily average of 57 vulnerable children were in these contingency spots. At the time, the annual cost was $43m.

The commission is legally prevented from releasing updated statistics but has been monitoring the situation and its information suggests placements have grown.

“Any increase in contingency placements is deeply concerning, given the inadequate quality and suitability of placements and the lack of continuity of staff,” Commissioner Liana Buchanan said. “We need fundamental reform to the care system and an increase in genuinely therapeutic placement options to meet the needs of children and young people coming into care in Victoria.

“These are vulnerable chil­d­ren who have already experienced significant trauma and they need the best support we can give them.”

Whistleblowers, who have been working inside the system, told the Herald Sun they had become increasingly frustrated about regularly having to place children into hotels. The issue has been made worse by fewer people volunteering to become foster carers.

Ms Buchanan said the state’s out-of-home-care system for children was “stretched, underfunded and not fit for purpose”.

The issue has been made worse by difficulties attracting more people to provide foster care.

“Contingency placements are the direct consequence of the fact we do not have enough adequately supported, tailored, home-based or residential care options to care for children who have been removed from their parents,” she said.

Russ Mulry, who was in the out-of-home-care system as a child, said he had been placed in hotels at least three times.

This included a stint in a regional Victoria motel for about three weeks when he was 13.

“It felt like forever when you’re a little motel in the backstreets,” he said. “It broke my heart to hear this is still happening.”

Opposition child protection spokesman Matt Bach said the system was in a deep crisis.

“Over many years, the Labor government’s failures have placed the most vulnerable children in our state at further risk of trauma and harm.”

A Department of Fairness, Families and Housing spokesman said: “Removing a child from their family is a decision of last resort. The safety of a child or young person being placed in out-of-home care is always paramount.

“On average, less than 1 per cent of children in out-of- home care on any given day are in a contingency care arrangement – and in most instances these involve depart­ment-owned and rented houses and apartments.

“The last three state budgets have invested $2.8bn in children and families’ services. This includes funding to build 41 extra residential beds – the biggest increase in residential beds in more than a decade.”