There is a lack of understanding in Victoria's Children's Court and child protection system of the long-term effects of abuse on children, a peak Catholic welfare agency has told a Senate inquiry.

Australia: System fails children

The Centacare Catholic Family Services agency also said there was a “climate of profound systems abuse” within the Victorian child protection system because the interests of abused children were not being put first.

“The current system is not designed to meet the child's needs and to place the child's needs for treatment and recovery above all else,” the agency said in a submission to the Senate inquiry into the abuse of children in institutional care.

Centacare, which finds permanent care placements for abused children, said those referred to its program were at a significant disadvantage because of their histories of abuse and neglect.

The children had serious attachment disorders, had experienced 10 to 15 temporary foster care placements and displayed ambivalent feelings towards parents, showed indiscriminate or sexualised behaviour and were behind educationally.

“The current system of Children's Court and child protection does not appear to see the importance of creating stability for a child and a sense of secure, lasting and nurturing relationships early on in the child's life,” Centacare said. The submission was one of the first to be made public last week of 100 so far received by the Senate Community Affairs Committee, which will report its findings in December.

The inquiry is investigating the scale of abuse and its consequences in government and non-government institutions and foster care. Centacare said there was a “real danger” that the mistakes of 20 years ago of ignoring the impact of abuse on children would be repeated by "our modern, supposedly informed child-protection system".

“In view of the lack of stability and long-term security that the majority of children face in the Victorian out-of-home care system, successful recovery from the trauma of abuse does not appear possible in the near future unless there is significant legal and practice reform,” it said.

“For those children who are removed from their parent, the services are inadequate and need major reform.”

The shift from institutions and group homes staffed by experienced workers to voluntary foster care meant the range of placement choices for abused children was less than it was 20 years ago. Foster care placements were not resourced adequately with training, support or income. “Foster care agencies have become dependent on the goodwill and commitment of foster parents to deal with disturbed and destructive behaviour of children in their care,” Centacare said.

Chris Goddard, who is head of social work at Monash University and a child abuse expert, said in a submission to the inquiry that child- protection services were in disarray nationwide. “Children are being kept too long in dysfunctional families, thus entering care too late and, sadly, being terribly damaged,” he said. /As a result, foster care is close to collapse in many, if not all, states.”

The Uniting Church's peak welfare body, UnitingCare Victoria and Tasmania, said in its submission that governments needed to formally acknowledge and apologise to people who had been abused while in state care in institutions.

“Agencies who have become aware of instances of maltreatment in their facilities need also to consider, as an organisation, making a formal acknowledgement and a formal apology,” it said.

By Gary Hughes
5 September 2003

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/08/23/1061529378291.html

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