The findings of a damning NSW Audit Office report into child protection show urgent action is needed to protect 85,000 children who are at risk of significant harm and haven’t been assessed or seen by a case worker.
Fams, the peak body for NSW NGO early intervention family and children’s services, is calling on the NSW Government to take immediate action to ensure the wellbeing of all children in the child protection system.
Fams CEO Susan Watson said the alarming findings of the report show a broken system in NSW that is failing our children.
“This is a sad indictment of child protection standards in NSW and we must take action on early intervention and prevention now to ensure all children can experience a safe and secure childhood,” Ms Watson said.
“This report makes it crystal clear that the foster care system is in urgent need of fixing – but what we need to do is also fund the services that will stop children from experiencing harm and ending up in unsafe situations including foster care in the first place.
“Only 10 per cent of funding for child protection is going towards early intervention.
“As the peak body for early intervention family and children’s services, we are once again calling on the Minns Government to increase funding for current early intervention and prevention programs by 25 per cent.
“With the state budget just weeks away, now is the time to address the funding shortfalls that are leaving our vulnerable, at-risk children to fend for themselves.
“It’s time the NSW Government fixed this broken system and invested in services to prevent children entering foster care in the first place”.
