The Queensland government has confirmed that vulnerable children have been made to sleep on the floor of public service offices, but has rejected claims its policies have further strained an under-pressure child protection system.
Premier confirms practice under LNP government
Premier David Crisafulli acknowledged on Monday that the approach had been used under his Liberal National Party (LNP) government, but said it would typically be done only in the early morning when other options were unavailable. “These kids otherwise might be on the street,” Crisafulli said.
The premier’s comments followed a report by the Courier Mail over the weekend that children were removed from homes without alternative places being organised for them. The outlet reported that children in state care were sleeping on mattresses in government offices.
Shadow treasurer calls for investigation
Shadow treasurer Shannon Fentiman said the Department of Child Safety should be investigated over whether it breached its duty of care. It remains unclear how often children have slept at child safety service centres. Child Safety Minister Amanda Camm did not answer a series of questions from Guardian Australia about the rates both before and after the October 2024 election, when the LNP government was elected.
Union reports growing frequency
The Together union, which represents many Queensland public sector workers, told media on Monday that the practice was becoming more common. The union informed Guardian Australia on Tuesday that children in the child safety system had slept overnight on air mattresses at the Toowoomba and Ipswich West child safety service centres this month and last month.
Together union assistant secretary Dee Spink said children being forced to sleep at offices “because there are no alternate options available reflect a system that has been stretched for too long.” The union had raised concerns about the problem with the state government on 10 June, she added.
Context of out-of-home care in Queensland
Queensland has the largest number of children in out-of-home care in the country at 12,500, despite state rules that removal should not be the preferred option. The state also has the country’s largest residential care industry, housing about 2,258 children, including 78 under the age of five.
The practice of housing children in public service offices has been used in emergencies since 2019, when no short-term placement option such as a hotel could be found.
Criticism from youth advocates
Youth Advocacy Centre CEO Katherine Hayes said children sleeping in public service offices was completely inappropriate and would exacerbate their feelings of uncertainty, instability, and lack of trust 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.
Recent reforms and their impact
Since the conclusion of a commission of inquiry into the sector last month, the state government has stopped housing children under five in hotel accommodation and cracked down on unlicensed residential care providers, cancelling contracts with two weeks’ notice. Guardian Australia understands many of the contracts were due to expire on 30 June. Camm did not respond to questions about how many would be affected.
Spink said the changes were the “driving force” for the increase in the use of office space. “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,” she said.
Minister denies link to reforms
In response to Guardian Australia’s questions, Camm denied that the practice had occurred since the commission of inquiry concluded. “We have been clear about the fact that no child has been moved from residential care to a Child Safety Service Centre, therefore any suggestion there is a link between the Crisafulli Government’s reforms and children seeking emergency overnight refuge is wrong,” she said.
In an earlier statement, she said: “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. 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 avoids media scrutiny
Camm has not fronted a media conference since 17 June. Asked on Tuesday why his minister would not answer questions, Crisafulli said she was “trying to fix 10 years of a broken system.” The government must respond to 52 recommendations of the inquiry within two months.
