Preliminary economic modelling, commissioned by the Canberra Restorative Community Network shows that reform of the ACT’s Child Protection System would not only benefit children and their families, but would also be in the economic interest of the entire community.
The research values the cost of removing one child in the ACT into Out of Home Care at $154,000 over their lifetime. The figure includes very conservative estimates of costs to the health, education, welfare, housing and justice systems for those who have been in child protection.
‘We know that there are significant and negative lifelong consequences associated with disrupted attachment to biological parents, extended family and cultural and community connection when children are taken into child protection. There have also been numerous reviews highlighting the urgent need for reform of ACT Child Protection services. The research we have commissioned now highlights the economic cost of failing to do this,’ said Canberra Network Convenor, Mary Ivec.
According to the ACT government’s own figures, as provided to the Productivity Commission’s Review of Government Services (ROGS), the total number of children in out of home care in the ACT has risen dramatically by 47% for Indigenous children and 34% for all children, in the ten years to 2018-19.[1]
In 2019 the Our Booris Our Way Review, which investigated the over representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the ACT Child Protection system, found Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were 16.3 times more likely to be in Out of Home Care than non-Indigenous children in the ACT.[2]
Dr Sharynne Hamilton, a Ngunnawal woman and Senior Researcher with the Telethon Kids Institute in Perth which works to improve the health and wellbeing of children and young people said, ‘This economic analysis makes an invaluable contribution to the pressing case for reform of the care and protection system both in the ACT and the broader Australian community. The preliminary number is very conservative. Other research such as a 2006 Morgan Disney economic analysis placed a figure of up to $4.1 million in avoidable costs to government across the life course of individuals who have been in the child protection system.’
Ms Ivec said, ‘We do need robust care and protection mechanisms in place for children, however we know from research that many removals in the ACT are unnecessary and could be avoided if the ACT made greater use of restorative processes to support and promote better outcomes, including child safety, for children and their families.’
ROGS data show that in the 2018/19 Financial Year, 806 children were in care, including 696 in out of home care in the ACT. There were 119 children taken into out of home care in the ACT in 2019 alone.[3]
Researcher Ms Rhiân Williams said, ‘This research highlights that investing to reduce unnecessary Out of Home Care makes good economic sense. The estimated cost is based on an average: meaning it can be used to estimate how many children would be better off if other mechanisms were in place to support them and their families, without the use of out of home care.
Ms Ivec said, ‘For example, an annual investment of $5 million in restorative approaches in child protection, that helped keep at least 50 children safe and out of the statutory system, would still deliver significant overall savings to the ACT community, along with better outcomes for children.’
Network member Dayle Summerfield, who led the effort to source funding for this research, said the study has now inspired the group to crowd source funding for a full cost-benefit analysis of potential restorative approaches in ACT Child Protection. ‘Hopefully this current research, and any future economic analysis, will make it clear the ACT Government must implement desperately needed reforms to reduce the number of children in Out of Home Care,’ said Ms Summerfield.
Dr Helen Watchirs, the ACT Human Rights Commissioner has publically called for urgent reform of the ACT child protection services. ‘The absence of external merits review of child protection decision-making has been questioned in successive reviews and inquiries over many years and gives rise to serious issues of incompatibility with the ACT’s government’s obligations under the Human Rights Act 2004. The government has had over three years since the Glanfield Report was published to work through any jurisdictional variations and to settle on an ACT-appropriate model. There can be no excuse for the ACT to continue to remain out of step with the rest of Australia by continuing to deny vulnerable children and their families their basic human rights.’
The Our Booris Our Way Review considered how to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the ACT child protection system through reducing the number of children entering care, improving their experience of care and improving pathways to exit care through restoration.
Our Booris Our Way consulted broadly across the community and reviewed the case files of 307 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were in contact with the child protection system as at 31 December 2017. The Review then checked the current circumstances of a sample number of children from the initial review within the system as at end of June 2019 to see what evidence could be found of changed practice since commencing this review.
Ms Ivec said, ‘We know that in comparison to the general population, children in care have poorer mental health and wellbeing; poorer levels of educational attainment; are at greater risk of homelessness, have disproportionately higher rates of alcohol and other drug misuse, are over-represented in youth and criminal justice systems and are at higher risk of further abuse and violence and premature death.’
‘Children do best when they are provided with adequate care and safety by their parents. We urge ACT decision makers to join other jurisdictions and countries, in implementing restorative approaches in child protection that we know will result in better outcomes for children, families and the community as a whole.’
‘For example, in December 2019, Paul Nixon – the former New Zealand Chief Social Worker from Oranga Tamariki, Ministry for Children, visited Canberra to share how restorative approaches led to dramatic reductions in the number of children taken into statutory care, whilst at the same time improving overall child safety.’
Ms Ivec said, ‘We can, and must, do better for children and their families in Canberra. By highlighting the economic costs of current statutory ACT Child Protection policies, processes and practices, our hope is that all political parties will commit to legislating and implementing restorative approaches in child protection, which we know will result in better outcomes for children, families and the community as a whole. This means genuine engagement with families, concerned citizens, community service organisations, statutory child protection services, and the Canberra Restorative Community Network. Together, we need to build a shared understanding of restorative child protection approaches which enable children and their families to be supported and to flourish.’
The Canberra Restorative Community Network’s focus is on exploring relational and restorative approaches to address social issues which cause harm to citizens. This means fostering relationships and connections where all involved are treated with respect, care and dignity, and where processes used to manage issues are framed around principles of safety, accountability, empowerment and healing.[4] The group has been actively working to support successive ACT Government commitments to develop Canberra as a Restorative City.[5]
Media contact: Mary Ivec ph: 0438-629211
[1] https://www.pc.gov.au/research/ongoing/report-on-government-services/2020/community-services/child-protection/rogs-2020-partf-section16.pdf
[2] https://www.strongfamilies.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/1457813/Our-Booris-Report-FINAL-REPORT.pdf
[3] https://www.pc.gov.au/research/ongoing/report-on-government-services/2020/community-services/child-protection/rogs-2020-partf-section16.pdf
[4] For a history of the Canberra Restorative Community Network see http://www.canberrarestorativecommunity.space/ (https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5624c6dae4b0501d4071beef/t/5e77cdde683f0c72e5303db3/1584909851677/Bright+Ideas+Full+copy.pdf)
[5] https://justice.act.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-11/191381_JACS_6pp_Vision_Document_web.pdf