In accordance with Part 5 of the Advocate for Children and Young People Act 2014, the Advocate for Children and Young People (NSW) established the Special Inquiry into children and young people in alternative care arrangements (ACAs). This includes the use of hotels, motels and other settings for placements, to understand the experience of those children and young people in their own words. This is the first Special Inquiry undertaken by the Advocate.
In line with the Advocate’s role to raise the voices of children and young people to government, business, and the community, the core focus of the Special Inquiry was to understand the lived experience of children and young people and to ensure that those voices are placed squarely at the centre of future work undertaken to reform the out-of-home care (OOHC) system in NSW.
Thank you to everyone involved in the work of the Special Inquiry who helped us to understand the experiences of children and young people in ACAs. We would like to especially thank every child and young person who helped create this report by sharing their experiences, without which, change could not happen.
During the course of the Special Inquiry, 21 children and young people aged 10 – 23 years participated in private hearings, and 21 submissions were received from interested parties, including from DCJ, non-government organisations, individuals and young people. In addition, the Special Inquiry team undertook desktop research and hosted two workshops with researchers, academic stakeholders and caseworkers.
The key impacts of these arrangements heard through private hearings, workshops, submissions, and other evidence include:
The report reflects the overwhelming evidence that ACAs are not appropriate care placements or living arrangements for children and young people. This evidence comes directly from children and young people who have been placed in these arrangements and is consistent with a number of written submissions received.
Based on the findings of the Special Inquiry, the NSW Government established an urgent review of the foster care system due to the first-hand experiences shared by children and young people in our private hearings.
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We acknowledge Aboriginal people as the First Nations Peoples of NSW and pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future.
Informed by lessons of the past, ACYP is improving how we work with Aboriginal people and communities. We listen and learn from the knowledge, strength and resilience of Stolen Generations Survivors, Aboriginal Elders and Aboriginal communities.