Revelations that a catalogue of sexual abuse has been occurring in Victoria’s child protection system led to accusations this week that the Minister for Community Services, Mary Wooldridge, had “her head in the sand” over the issue.
Victorian Shadow Minister Jenny Mikakos turned up the heat on her counterpart, saying that the minister was in denial over the state’s child care system being broken.
Last week, after accessing leaked internal documents from the Department of Human Services, the ABC reported that hundreds of alleged rapes, sexual assaults and instances of sexual exploitation were reported across Victoria’s out-of-home care network over a 12-month period up to March 2014.
During the period in question, 98 alleged rapes were reported by children in the out-of-home care network, along with 96 indecent assaults, and 73 instances of sexual exploitation: providing sex in return for items such as cigarettes, alcohol and money.
Ms Mikakos told Neos Kosmos she was “shocked and appalled” by the revelations.
“These figures are absolutely staggering,” said Labor’s combative front bencher. “The revelations of sexual abuse in Victoria’s child protection system just keep getting worse.”
As Shadow Minister for Community Services and Children, Ms Mikakos said the incidents were symptomatic of a “systemic problem” and the figures identified to date could be just the tip of an iceberg. “There may be many more cases out there,” she said.
“Every single case is one too many, but the sheer scale of the abuse of children, happening in a system designed to protect them, is just scandalous.”
Defending the government’s record, Minister Wooldridge told the ABC that any sexual assault of a child in care was unacceptable but said she did not believe the incidents were the result of a ‘systemic’ problem.
“What is systemic is that the children in out-of-home care are particularly vulnerable … I don’t believe that sexual assault is inevitable in the out-of-home care system,” she said, adding that organised groups of predators had targeted victims in the system.
“When that happens we have set up a police task force …there have been charges laid, intervention orders, [and] disruption activities are under way.”
In a statement provided to Neos Kosmos this week, a spokesperson for the state government said it had begun “implementing wholesale reform for out-of-home care which will result in all residential care placements being delivered under a therapeutic model … with more staff and better access to
professionals…”
The reform program relates to the government’s 5-year Out of Home Care plan which is supported by a funding package of $128 million “to strengthen and improve the out-of-home care system …with a view to all residential care placements being therapeutic by the end of 2019”.
The statement adds that the government has invested more than $900 million in vulnerable children and families over the last four budgets, including $12 million in the 2014-15 budget towards Child FIRST and family support services, which provide early intervention for families with the aim of “diverting children away from child protection services”.
Jenny Mikakos says the government’s plan will do little to alleviate the immediate crisis in the out-of-home care system.
“The minister gets a report on her desk every time one of these incidents occurs, and the number of cases of abuse are piling up.
“Her plan does not address the inadequate staff levels nor the poor training of staff looking after our most vulnerable children. While the minister has contracted out the care of these children, she is still responsible for their welfare”.