Child protection
Blake lost touch with his culture in high school. Then in year 12, something clicked
The 19-year-old says unless something changes, many other young Queenslanders “are never going to figure out who they truly are”.
- by Courtney Kruk
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Child safety
‘Like a dog in a cage’: Desperate lives of kids in emergency care revealed
Children as young as 12 reported allegations of sexual assault, drug use and abandonment in motel rooms without close supervision.
- by Michael McGowan
‘Limited visibility’ for teens in group homes amid worrying number of reports
New data shows an increasing number of reports of significant harm to children living in group homes funded by the government.
- by Amber Schultz
We’ve been worried about kids on the internet for 30 years. Is it time to toughen up on tech?
The alleged stabbing of a Sydney bishop by a teenager has reignited Australian alarm at the realities of online harm, reopening a debate about how to protect children.
- by Natassia Chrysanthos
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State Parliament
‘Not appropriate’: Minister to remove at-risk kids from emergency hotel care
A new specialist unit has reduced the number of at-risk children stranded in high-cost emergency accommodation such as hotels by 42 per cent.
- by Michael McGowan
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Adoption & fostering
Foster carers beg for support as record numbers quit the system
The Sun-Herald has spoken to five anonymous foster carers who have accused the government of failing them and the children in their care.
- by Amber Schultz
Woman picked up four-year-old girl and walked away: police
WA Police want to speak to two teenage girls who intervened when three people approached a young child in a suspicious manner at Point Walter on Australia Day.
The children with a one-in-four chance of finishing school
About 80 per cent of students complete year 12, but for some young people the odds are 25 per cent and they’re far more likely to be expelled.
- by Kieran Rooney
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Victoria Police
Vulnerable kids at risk as unallocated cases hit five-year high
The share of child protection cases with no active caseworkers has hit a five-year-high in Victoria.
- by Kieran Rooney
Foster carers leaving system as cost of living, low allowance bites
Victorian foster carers receive the lowest base payment of any state in Australia, with the sector losing nearly twice as many carers as it recruits.
- by Kieran Rooney
Perspective
Government
A class action alleging racist child removals could have wider ripples
The significant, but quiet, development in Queensland this month will be felt well beyond the two traumatic and personal stories driving it.
- by Matt Dennien