A former child protection worker in Victoria says juvenile offenders are being put in the same residential care facilities as disabled children who are under state care.
The whistleblower, who wants to be known only as Steve, says the situation has had devastating consequences for the state’s most vulnerable children.
Steve worked for the child protection division in the Department of Human Services (DHS) in regional Victoria.
He says young people transitioning through child protection and the criminal justice system have been housed in residential centres with disabled children, who are in the care of the state.
“If you’ve got the sheep in amongst the wolves and you’re the shepherd, there’s only so much you can do,” he said.
Steve told ABC Local Radio over the past five years, the mix of young offenders and disabled children has been disastrous.
He says an eight-year-old boy with Autism and Down Syndrome was placed into a government facility and was sexually abused by a man with a known history of sexual assault.
Steve says the volatile situation often leads to more criminal offending.
“I call it almost premeditated domestic abuse because these people are placed into a domestic situation where they are handed victims on a platter and they can basically reoffend, re-offend, re-offend,” he said.
“The people who are offended against are scarred and start reoffending themselves.”
Steve reported the violence to his superiors in line with DHS policy.
The Department of Human Services says residential placement matches for children in state care are carefully considered, and the best interests of the child are paramount.
It says any allegation of abuse must be reported to DHS and police within 24 hours and are treated with the utmost urgency.
Steve says that policy is not working.
“As far as that translates to practice on the ground, there’s something going awry,” he said.
The Minister for Disability Services and Community Services, Mary Wooldridge, was not available for an interview.
Her department would only provide the statement from the DHS.
Read transcript / listen to MP3 (off-site)- Topics:
- Child protection and relinquishment, Discrimination, Housing
- Author:
- Kate Stowell
- Source:
- ABC Radio AM
- Date published:
- Thu 5th Dec, 2013