Minister Washington鈥檚 child out-of-home-care reform push welcomed
20 November 2023
Families and Communities Minister Kate Washington鈥檚 promise to address the appalling outcomes for NSW鈥檚 most vulnerable children caused by the previous coalition government鈥檚 privatisation of the state鈥檚 out-of-home-care system is to be applauded, says the union representing child protection workers.
The Liberal National government鈥檚 emphasis on for-profit providers has left over 100 children living for months in motels supervised by untrained staff while the foster system has been left to wither and die.
This system has cost NSW taxpayers over half-a-billion dollars in just the last two years.
In the Minister’s words for profit providers are now 鈥樷榚xploiting a broken system鈥欌.
The union representing child protection workers consistently brought these problems to the attention of the previous Coalition Government but to no avail says Troy Wright, the Assistant General Secretary of the The Public Service Association.
鈥淎fter 12 years of LNP neglect and ideologically driven outsourcing to for-profit providers the state鈥檚 child protection system is in crisis,” says Troy Wright, the Assistant General Secretary of the The Public Service Association.
鈥淥ur members have borne the brunt of the previous government鈥檚 heartless regime in child protection, we can see what with the unprecedented burnout, and turnover rates in the sector.
鈥淎nd what we know now is that these for-profit companies have actually cost the taxpayer more.
鈥淲e know of cases where individually children have cost the taxpayer $1.7 million a year to accommodate, one child cost the state $3.3 million under the for-profit model of care.
鈥淲e are seeing terrible outcomes for the state鈥檚 most vulnerable kids, a sector so run down and demoralised no-one wants to work in it, and an extraordinary cost to taxpayers,鈥 says Troy Wright, the Assistant General Secretary of the The Public Service Association