Dozens of care providers left without a contract as part the Cook Labor Government’s Out of Home Care reforms believe the decision will have a devastating impact on a large number of extremely vulnerable children.

The reforms will see the number of providers that provide this specialised care, including after hours placement, district care, foster care, and high needs care, reduced from around 45 to 16, meaning up to 300 children will be forced to transition to different providers and care placements.

WA Liberal Leader Libby Mettam raised the issue in parliament today urging the Child Protection Minister to reconsider the number of contracts provided to ensure greater stability for these children.

“Many of these youths are deeply traumatised with severe behavioural issues, usually as a result of early childhood trauma, including physical and sexual abuse and foetal alcohol spectrum disorders,” Ms Mettam said.

“Most have had multiple placements in their times and require highly specialised and individualised care that can’t be easily transitioned.

“The welfare of these children should be front and centre of any reforms. There are grave concerns this is a box-ticking measure that does not properly take into account the serious mental health and behavioural issues as a result of such instability.”

One of those unsuccessful agencies was Plan & Grow, a well-established NDIS registered service provider and has been a partner agency with the Department of Communities, Child Protection and Family Support since 2019.

It supports 60 children, many of whom are often set aside by other providers as they are deemed ‘too hard’.

CEO Anita Peiris fears moving these children to unfamiliar placements could result in tragic outcomes.

“The department has not considered the value of the strong connections and relationships built over the years with several children, some of them serving time in Banksia Hill Detention Centre and Casuarina Prison’s Unit 18,” Mrs Peiris said.

“To inform those children that Plan & Grow will no longer have a home for them on their release will be potentially catastrophic.

“A key focus of these reforms was to try and curb the number of aboriginal children entering Out of Home Care and to provide greater stability for children entering care but these reforms seem to focus on the opposite, putting at risk the significant progress made over the years with some of these most vulnerable teenagers.”