Children Living in Residential Care

The Hon. S.L. GAME (17:09): I move:

That this council recognises that—

1. There are 634 children and young people in residential care in South Australia;

2. There is a strong link between children and young people living in residential care and being detained in Kurlana Tapa Youth Justice Centre;

3. There are a disproportionate number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in residential care;

4. Many children and young people in residential care do not feel safe;

5. Young people living in residential care homes are particularly vulnerable to targeted sexual exploitation by adults in the community, but there are also allegations of abuse by carers, employees and volunteers of the department or agency;

6. There have been incidents of peer-on-peer sexual abuse;

7. There are severe shortages of safe and appropriate placement options, which means children with known histories of harmful sexual behaviour have been placed with other at-risk children, and, in some instances, it has taken many months to move children at risk;

8. There is insufficient carer staffing in some residential care homes;

9. There is often inadequate training of carers in relation to identifying and responding to sexual abuse, and there are unclear reporting processes for carers and managers;

10. Regular face-to-face communication from properly trained and caring advocates is essential to establish a relationship and enable the possibility of better protection for these children and young people; and

11. The current government funding for a visitor role for children in residential care is inadequate and does not enable even an annual visit to each residential care facility.

The 634 children and young people in residential care need better representation advocacy. These are some of the most vulnerable people in our state and they deserve every effort to rectify their situations. It has become, unfortunately, almost an expectation that the trajectory for these young people is that of a path of abuse, exploitation and low educational outcomes.

It is shameful that there is such a blatant connection between children in residential care and children in our youth justice system. It is shameful that Aboriginal children make up a disproportionate number of young people in residential care. It is shameful that at-risk children are placed with peers who have been so traumatised and abused themselves that peer-on-peer abuse seems normalised. It is shameful that the advocates for these young people are not resourced sufficiently to visit even once per annum, let alone the minimum recommendation of four visits per year.

I ask that this parliament recognises that better funding desperately needs to be allocated for oversight advocates to help ensure that these children and young people have a voice, that they can begin to feel safe and that they know they have someone representing their needs.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. I.K. Hunter.