Known as the Waratah Care Cottages, the new properties will provide safe homes for children and young people who will be cared for by highly trained, accredited staff with expertise in looking after children at risk.
The cottages will support a number of children who are currently living in High-Cost Emergency Arrangements (HCEAs) who cannot be immediately placed with a relative or a foster carer.
The Waratah Care Cottages will further assist the Government to deliver on a commitment to reduce the number of children and young people in unsuitable HCEAs and scrap Alternative Care Arrangements (ACAs) altogether.
A report by the Advocate for Children and Young People (ACYP), released in August, detailed the harrowing experiences of children living in HCEAs where numerous young people described being left alone in extremely unsafe situations. One child described their experience living in HCEAs as making them feel like a “dog being moved from cage to cage.”
First introduced under the previous government, HCEAs were supposed to be only used for short periods, in emergency situations but were increasingly overused because of a spiralling shortage of foster carers.
The Liberal National government stopped recruiting foster carers 10 years ago, outsourcing the task to non-government organisations. Since then, thousands of children have been placed in HCEAs, including hotels, motels and caravan parks.
In November last year the Minister for Families and Communities, Kate Washington stood up a specialist team within DCJ to tackle the overuse of HCEAs. Since then, the NSW Government has:
• Reduced the number of children placed in ACAs, the worst type of HCEA from 139 to just 27 (an 81% reduction).
• Reduced the number of children placed in HCEAs from 506 to 339.
• Announced a total ban on ACA placements by March 2025.
The Government has recruited 207 emergency foster carers who have provided homes for 849 vulnerable children.
A sibling group currently living in a HCEA will be the first to move into one of the Waratah Cottages next week. The children will stay together and will be supported by a dedicated DCJ casework team.
NSW urgently needs more foster carers to provide loving and secure homes for children who cannot live safely with their families. To inquire about becoming a foster carer, go to nsw.gov.au/community-services/foster-relative-and-kinship-care/become-a-foster-carer.
Minister for Families and Communities and Minister for Disability Inclusion, Kate Washington said: “Every step we take away from unsuitable emergency accommodation is one step closer to better outcomes for children who need our support.
“The Waratah Care Cottages will provide safe homes for vulnerable children while longer term foster and relative care is being found.
Member for Camden Sally Quinnell said: “The previous Government left us with a system that was not working for the people who needed it the most – vulnerable children. My community is proud to help look after the children of NSW who need a safe place to land.”
