AUSTRALIA
Foster kids call for more support
Mark Colvin presents PM Monday to Friday from 5:10pm on Radio National and 6:10pm on ABC Local Radio.
Mark Colvin: For the first time 23 young Australians have gathered in Sydney to try to find a solution to the one thing they have in common. They've either been, or still are, in state care, and for many of them that experience affects what they do with the rest of their lives. The 15 to 24 year olds are all part of the first National Youth Advisory Council. It's an initiative of the CREATE Foundation, which supports young people when they have to leave care and tackle the world on their own.
George Roberts has the story:
George Roberts: In a room full of energetic young people, Lee's dreadlocks and piercings fit right in. She went into state care when she was two years old and by the time she was 17 she'd been in 24 different foster homes or care facilities in Victoria.
Lee: Yeah it's just a whole bunch of abuse that goes on. There's the emotional side, there's the physical and then, you know, and then yeah it's just everything else just piles on top of it. I wouldn't be able to label what was the worst experience.
George Roberts: It's that bad?
Lee: Um yeah, I would say so.
George Roberts: She says it's pretty common for young foster children to run away from an abusive situation and seek refuge at a friend's house.
Lee: If you run away the police come and get you straight away because you're a kid under the state so they find you straight away and no matter what happens they just keep taking you back.
George Roberts: The challenges of bouncing around between shelters and foster homes are only matched by the difficulties the children face when they turn 18. In some states that's when they have to fend for themselves. At 24, Lee's now unemployed and living in a caravan but she's planning to become an art teacher. She says life after care has been tough because at 17 you're told to prepare for a life with no family and not much support.
Lee: Suddenly I started freaking out because you've got to find out where you're going to live, you've got to find out how you're going to make your money last through the whole fortnight. What are you going to do when something goes wrong? So in that sense I think it's a lot harder on kids who've been in care to leave when you're 18 because you don't have the necessary skills a lot of the time.
George Roberts: The latest figures from the Australian Institute of Family Studies show that last June there were 32,000 Australian children in state care. Jacqui Reed is the chief executive of CREATE Foundation, a non-profit organisation which supports these young people. She says a national support system is vital to ensure no child is disadvantaged.
Jacqui Reed: So for children, young people, to have no support after 18 is absolutely detrimental. Their life outcomes are predestined. We know that they're disadvantaged going out into the real world and it's just got to stop.
George Roberts: Today the young people pitched their ideas for improving the system to government representatives. The Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children's Services, Bill Shorten represented the Government as the Community Services Minister Jenny Macklin is still dealing with the aftermath of the Victorian bushfires. Mr Shorten announced $165,000 in funding for a website to provide support tools to young people who've left state care. But he says a national system is not being considered.
Bill Shorten: No, we see that the states have a lead role in terms of child protection. That is a function of state governments. But what we are doing is we're ending the blame game and we're working with the states to have the Commonwealth assist the states deliver services which protect our children.
George Roberts: Twenty-three-year-old Krystal went into care at 12. Now she works for a recruitment firm and hires people to work in the child protection sector. Having experienced that life, she now works to improve it for those who come after her.
Krystal: It would be beautiful if the Government actually took some action in regards to these issues and actually made change for the better. As for it actually getting into policy and procedure, there hasn't been much action taken by the upper heads.
George Roberts: The Federal Government is still working on a national child protection framework. It's due to be considered by the Council of Australian Governments in the coming months.
Reporter: George Roberts
17 February 2009
