Government Addresses Claims of Children Sleeping in Public Service Offices
The Queensland government has dismissed allegations that recent policy changes have further burdened the child protection system, following reports that vulnerable children were made to sleep on floors within public service offices.
Premier David Crisafulli acknowledged on Monday that this practice occurred during his LNP government’s tenure but emphasized it was generally limited to early mornings when no other options were available.
“These kids otherwise might be on the street,” Crisafulli said.
Crisafulli’s remarks followed a report by the Courier Mail revealing that children removed from homes were sometimes left without arranged alternative accommodations. The report indicated that children in state care had slept on mattresses in government offices. Shadow treasurer Shannon Fentiman called for an investigation into the Department of Child Safety regarding potential breaches of its duty of care.
The frequency of children sleeping at child safety service centres remains unclear. Child Safety Minister Amanda Camm did not respond to multiple inquiries from Australia about the rates before and after the October 2024 election, when the LNP government assumed office.
Union Reports Increase in Practice
The Together union, representing many Queensland public sector workers, reported on Monday that the practice has become more common. On Tuesday, the union informed Australia that children in the child safety system had slept overnight on air mattresses at the Toowoomba and Ipswich West child safety service centres during the current and previous months.
Assistant Secretary Dee Spink stated, “Children being forced to sleep at the offices because there are no alternate options available reflect a system that has been stretched for too long.”
Spink added that the union had raised concerns with the state government on 10 June regarding this issue.
Context of Child Protection in Queensland
Queensland has the highest number of children in out-of-home care nationwide, totaling 12,500, despite state regulations that removal should not be the preferred solution.
The state also hosts the largest residential care industry in Australia, accommodating approximately 2,258 children, including 78 under the age of five.
The use of public service offices to house children has been an emergency measure since 2019, employed when no short-term placement options, such as hotels, were available.
Expert and Government Responses
Katherine Hayes, CEO of the Youth Advocacy Centre, criticized the practice, describing it as wholly inappropriate and likely to worsen children’s feelings of uncertainty, instability, and distrust in the system.
“The kids that are in these kind of placements are the most vulnerable and high needs kids in Queensland, and are also often in a situation of acute need, so the holding of them in an office environment is really traumatising and damaging,” Hayes said.
Last month, the state government ceased housing children under five in hotel accommodations and intensified scrutiny of unlicensed residential care providers, terminating contracts with two weeks’ notice.
Australia understands many of these contracts were set to expire on 30 June. Minister Camm did not provide details on how many contracts would be affected.
Spink attributed the rise in office use to these recent policy changes.
“This is not what a child safety officer is supposed to be doing. They are not there to be that overnight supervisor for young people,” Spink said.
In a statement, Minister Camm denied that children had been housed in child safety centres since the conclusion of the commission of inquiry or that any child had been moved from unlicensed residential care homes into these centres under the LNP government.
“Only in extreme and emergent circumstances, where children are taken into child safety custody after hours, has the department provided supervised refuge in a child safety service centre, while stable and permanent accommodation is sourced within hours,” she said.
“While these situations are rare, there are examples dating back to 2019 and there have been no instances of this occurring since the Commission of Inquiry concluded.”
Minister Camm has not held a media conference since 17 June. When asked on Tuesday why the minister was not responding to questions, Premier Crisafulli stated she was “trying to fix 10 years of a broken system.”
The government is required to respond to 52 recommendations from the inquiry within two months.
