Child Safety Officers will be embedded with police in a trial project to address the hundreds of children missing from State care.
A Queensland Government survey found more than 770 children under State care were “self-placing” outside their allocated place of residence, with eight found to be homeless.
State Child Safety Minister Amanda Camm said the first-ever census on self-placing children found 51 of the 772 children missing were young offenders out on bail and 81 children were subject to a youth justice order, with 27 of the children absent or missing from care were under 12.
Minister Camm said in response Child Safety Officers (CSOs) would work with police at three sites to ensure a rapid information exchange with police and youth justice as part of a pilot.
She said the pilot would be trialled in Cairns, Caboolture and Logan and would see a CSO working after hours with police and youth justice officers to:
- Conduct risk assessments on children in care.
- Analyse child protection information on the ground.
- Assist in returning the child to their placement.
- Act as a conduit to child safety to improve continuity of care and case work.
“To have 51 children out on bail and 81 subject to a youth justice order in the State’s care and have them not be where they are supposed to be, is extremely concerning.”
Minister Camm said the Census also found:
- 144 children had been subject to another youth justice involvement.
- 325 had a diagnosed disability or mental health disorder.
- 269 had a suspected disability or mental health disorder.
- 371 children noted they were missing or absent because they didn’t like the placement or preferred living elsewhere.
- 55 said they didn’t not feel safe in their placement.
- 57 said they had conflicted with another person living at their placement.
- 586 children found to be missing or absent during the census were found to be frequently missing or absent, or both.
- 44 percent of the children were engaged with school.
She said eight children were found to be homeless, with the audit revealing:
- 49.4 percent were known to be staying with their parents.
- 26 percent with friends/acquaintances.
- 21.7 percent with extended family.
- 5 percent with adult siblings.
- 2.8 percent with former carers.
- 3.5 percent with partner/partner’s family.
- 3.3 percent moving between locations.
- 1.1 percent sleeping rough
“When I announced the audit into self-placing children, I said it was unacceptable to have one vulnerable child missing or absent from their State-placed care, and the results of the census have only strengthened that belief in my mind,” Minister Camm said.
“It’s also important to investigate all options on how we can ensure children in care are staying where they are supposed to be staying and not putting themselves in dangerous environments, or out roaming the streets at night breaking the law.”
