A young boy who has spent half his life in care has painted a disturbing picture of Queensland's failing child safety system, revealing he has been sleeping on the streets while in state care.
Child's Harrowing Testimony
The child, whose identity is protected, told 7NEWS that rough sleeping is “cold, scary, just feel sad.” Shockingly, he says it is preferable to residential care. “When I go there, I don’t feel loved or like shown affection, you know what I mean?” he said.
The boy, not yet a teenager and not attending school, says the system has devastated his life. “It’s affected my life so much and that, like, I just want to go live with my parents again,” he added.
He also claimed he slept in a child safety office for two nights. “I was sleeping on the floor with no blanket, nothing. It was really cold,” he said.
Government Confirms Instances
While 7NEWS could not verify the boy's claim, Queensland Premier David Crisafulli confirmed this week that there have been instances of children staying in government buildings.
Child Safety Minister Amanda Camm finally faced cameras at an LNP state convention after days of silence. Initially dismissive, she said, “I don’t understand why you do, because the Premier has addressed everything.” Under pressure, she confirmed children had stayed in government buildings, claiming it happened only three times involving two 17-year-olds and a 16-year-old.
“They were not babies,” she said. “This has been a long-standing practice that has occurred at emergent times.” She insisted the children were not sleeping on floors but on “brand-new clean” air mattresses that “every child safety service centre has.”
Minister's Silence Criticised
This is the first time the minister has appeared since the reports emerged, as she had been receiving treatment for migraines. Labor has criticised Camm’s silence, especially given that a Commission of Inquiry made 52 recommendations to fix the flawed child safety system a month ago.
Frontline Worker Concerns
A frontline youth care provider has raised serious concerns about the state government’s handling of vulnerable children. They say many young people in residential care, including First Nations kids, face uncertainty about where they will live. One insider accused the government of enforcing a blanket approach, saying many children are couch surfing out of desperation.
