A young Queensland teenager who has spent a decade in the state's care system has come forward with a harrowing account of homelessness, abuse in foster families, and being moved between multiple residential care homes.
Teen's story of survival
The teenager told 7NEWS: "You don't get food every day, you don't get the support, the love, you don't get any care whatsoever. You're pretty much on your own unless you find really good people like I have." He described sleeping on the streets and witnessing abuse in foster placements.
His story follows another young boy in Queensland's state care who spoke to 7NEWS on Friday with a disturbing account of his experience. The teen has a message for those in power: "Just think of it as your kid, or your kids, or your family being in a situation."
Minister responds to claims
Queensland Child Safety Minister Amanda Camm held a snap press conference to address the allegations. "We are unashamedly, unashamedly embarking upon reform," she said. The reform includes transitioning young children out of residential care.
Camm rejected claims that the policy has led to more children seeking safety in government offices. "No. Not one. Not one," she said. However, Labor's spokesperson Meaghan Scanlon countered: "Well, that's not what child safety staff have said. That's not what services have told us."
Criticism from advocacy groups
Bryan Smith from Queensland Foster and Kinship Care slammed the government's handling of vulnerable children. "Children under 12 shouldn't be in residential care. They should absolutely be in family-based care," he said.
The minister vowed to continue the emergency protocol in place for years. "Where possible, we are placing children as a first preference with foster or kin, and as a second preference, we're transitioning them to licensed providers," she said.
Investigations into providers
In a significant revelation, Camm announced that several for-profit providers of residential care have been referred to other agencies for misconduct, while others remain under investigation. The minister has given herself another month to formally respond to the government's own landmark inquiry into the child safety system.
