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Child protection

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Twelve kids were lost for four days because of the ageing software.

Twelve kids in state care went missing for four days because their addresses were in a spreadsheet

This case study was unearthed in a probe by Auditor General Caroline Spencer who today delivered a scathing report about the department’s record-keeping software known as Assist.

  • Hamish Hastie

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The child protection system is struggling to cope.

Abuse cases surging as child protection investigations take weeks to start

Victoria spends $821.96 per child on care services, which is the least in the nation.

  • Kieran Rooney
Zoe Robinson the NSW Advocate for Children and Young People

Zoe said that adults don’t always know best. Mark Latham savaged her

The NSW Advocate for Children and Young People isn’t afraid to weigh into some of the most controversial issues of importance to the state’s young people.

  • Deborah Snow
Queensland’s chief police union says domestic and family violence reporting is creating unmanageable workloads and draining resources, leading to more officers leaving the force.

Police need hundreds more officers as domestic violence calls skyrocket

The state’s top police union says officers are responding to more than 500 domestic and family violence-related occurrences a day, with the number expected to grow.

  • Courtney Kruk
Melanie James is calling for all members of the NSW Band Association to have working with children checks after she said she was groomed as a young teenager by a member 32 years her senior.

At four, Melanie played the Opera House. By 13, the grooming had allegedly started

Melanie James says the grooming and sexual abuse allegedly committed by a bandmate 32 years her senior was known about by other band members who did nothing to help.

  • Amber Schultz
Cleveland Dodd died after being held in Unit 18. His mother Nadene Dodd wants to ensure change is made. Picture: WAtoday

‘Matter of urgency’: Coroner calls for closure of WA youth prison unit

Coroner Philip Urquhart called for the justice department to be stripped of its role overseeing young people.

  • Aaron Bunch
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A 16-year-old girl alleges her residential care unit is like “jail” after being removed from her foster parents over an allegation she says is untrue.

The 16-year-old, the sex abuse allegation and the $3k-a-day accommodation

When Kate sent a terrifying message to her friends one evening, things rapidly spiralled out of control.

  • Amber Schultz
Illustration: Joe Benke

Too young for TikTok, old enough for jail: How a meaner Australia treats its kids

Two worrying but contradictory laws affecting children passed last week in Queensland and Canberra. Both arose despite a lack of evidence to support them.

  • Sean Kelly
A scathing review of NSW’s out-of-home-care system has found it is “not fit for purpose”

Claims of double-charging and excessive rent in NSW child protection system

Following stinging critiques of NSW’s child protection system, a widespread review found out-of-home care was “not fit for purpose” and lacked accountability and oversight.

  • Michael McGowan
There has been a surge in educators being accused of serious offences, according to the teaching watchdog’s annual report.

Seven guilty as abuse allegations against teachers surge 70 per cent

The teachers’ union and children’s commissioner are at odds over the big increase in complaints, with the former claiming many of the reports are frivolous.

  • Caroline Schelle

Original URL: https://www.watoday.com.au/topic/child-protection-1n7y