Why is Child Protection such a Stupendous Joke?
- Details
- Category: NSW Ombudsman
- Created: Saturday, 02 June 2012 19:16
- Written by Michael Hart
Over twice as many children are in foster care in NSW compared with a decade ago --- yet there is no research to support this change -- where is the evidence that it is better than providing community services to those in need? We are spending $500.00 / year protecting children - most of it does NOT go into protecting children from harm but reacting to children after they are harmed. *Page 2 - Source
There was a $300,000,000.00 increase over my last figures yet most (65%) still goes into OOHC. *Source
"?Nationally, approximately $2.5 billion was spent on child protection and out-of-home care services in 2009–10, which was an increase of $296.3 million (13.2%) from 2008–09. Of this expenditure, out-of-home care services accounted for the majority (64.9% or $1.7 billion). " FIRST PAGE
Indicating that for the majority of cases children are harmed and lawyers are involved before anything gets done.
The cost of the Lawyers and courts (CPS) is also pretty high accounting for over 30% in NSW.
And of course family support comes dead last again - with only 12% in NSW going to supporting families (but why would we support families when we can support lawyers instead? Lawyers are more important than families and children aren't they?)
Compare this with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child - which states the signatory states must support parents raising children and must ensure chldren know their biological parents.
Nationally the rate of money spent supporting families to total spent overall varies from 1% in NT to 12% in NSW with a national average of only 10% of all child protection money going to protect children.
On the other hand the amount of the total that is given to the legal industry and paperwork etc varies from 25% in WA to 37% in QLD with an overall national average of 32%.
And the amount of the total Child"Protection" cost that goes to foster carers AFTER children are harmed instead of providing protective care varies from 53% in QLD to 74% is SA with an overall average of 59%.
In summary the Australian Governments idea of protecting children is to invest on 10% of the money in protection and 90% of the money goes to people to reacting to children being abused, may of whom wear wigs and gowns....
If 90% of the money is spent AFTER children are abused what incentive is there to protect them from harm or focus on the welfare of the children???????
