The Nationals’ Member for Eastern Victoria, Melina Bath has gone into bat for vulnerable children in Victoria’s out of home care after a report shows the number of new foster carers has fallen by 12 per cent in the past year.
Ms Bath said data from the Foster Care Association of Victoria shows that experienced foster carers statewide are leaving the system at a concerning rate.
“Victoria’s vulnerable children need more specialised support; any loss of carers is a sad indication that the out of home care system is broken.
“Over the past 10 years Labor has continually failed to address the desperate needs of children in foster and kinship care and those under child protection orders.”
Ms Bath has called on Labor’s Minister for Children, Lizzie Blandthorn to meet with Heather Baird from the Sale based charity A Better Life for Foster Kids to discuss the solutions and find a way forward to better support our state’s vulnerable children.
“Heather Baird was recently awarded the Kindest Person in Australia title as part of World Kindest Day – she’s walked the walk, talked the talk and lived the life; there’s no better individual to advise the state government on fixing Victoria’s declining foster and kinship care system.
“Heather is advocating for meaningful changes so children receive better support.
“Improvements include carers to receive appropriate information regarding a child’s medical and trauma history, specialised carers for children suffering from physical or sexual abuse, specialised respite carers for children entering the system, and improved mentoring for new child protection workers.
“It is not uncommon for a child taken into state care to be deposited on a carer’s doorstep without any information on medical or emotional history.
“For the wellbeing of children and carers, the Allan Government must improve the system to ensure it evolves beyond emergency shelter.
“The out of home care system is suffering in Victoria, and Labor must better serve our most vulnerable children, and their foster and kinship carers.”
